Marked For Death
by UnKnownSalvation
Summary: A young boy without a name wakes up one night with no memories and numerous quirks and through a series of events, becomes a thief hunting for answers until he was caught and given a new goal and his old name. Become a hero, Izuku!... even if no one wants you to. Cover art done by Zoe-Oneesama.
1. Ch 1: Noh Means Yes

**_Marked For Death_**

**Ch. 1: Noh Means Yes**

Naomasa Tsukauchi thought he was prepared for anything. He thought that these last few years of tireless working paying off would be the best feeling in the world, like it always was when he and his associates cracked a big case. But this…?

This was different…

Naomasa stared at his latest arrest though the one-sided glass that separated him from the interrogation room with a feeling of wonder.

'_What could have driven this young man to such a life as this?' _

"Well, I believe congratulations are in order, detective, woof," Naomasa broke his staring contest with a glass wall to see a dog headed man in a suit walk up to him, hand extended for a shake.

"Chief Tsuragamae, I wasn't expecting you to making an appearance tonight," Naomasa remarked as he took his boss's hand. "Would've expected you to be asleep at this hour."

"With a wake-up call like that, I almost woke up the Mrs. and the kids in one big howl," Tsuragamae said with a chuckle at his bad pun before quickly regaining composure and focusing on the detainee beyond the glass. "So, is this really him?" Naomasa pulled out a sheet of paper from his trench coat pocket before responding.

"Believe it or not, it is. The abilities he displayed during his fight with the heroes' match Eraserhead's descriptions and he fits the bill physically. However," Naomasa put the sheet down on the table next to the glass wall before turning to his supervisor. "He also seems to be capable of more than one quirk." Tsuragamae's face darkened in an instant. Naomasa could tell they were already thinking the same thing. "We haven't interrogated him yet so we're not sure if it's the case. If I may be permitted, I would like to lead the interrogation."

"I was hoping you would offer. Given your ties to All Might and your quirk, I can think of no better officer in the Tokyo Police Force who would be better suited to the job, woof," The chief spoke with a proud look in his eyes before looking around. "Where's your partner by the by?"

"Tamakawa? Oh, I have him looking into giving us something concrete on his identity. We don't actually even know his name yet beyond Noh."

"Ah, I see. Well, let us pray for speedy progress. I take it that All Might will want to sit in on this as well?"

"He would like permission given the circumstances," Naomasa admitted.

"I wouldn't doubt it. Very well then, I leave the rest in your capable hands, Detective Tsukauchi, woof," With that, Chief Tsugamae took his leave and left Naomasa with his thoughts… for about five seconds before his phone rang.

"Looks like word travels fast, eh Toshi?"

* * *

As Naomasa stared at the file Sansa Tamakawa had handed him, his wonder and sadness for the person he was about to meet grew.

"You sure this is all correct?" Naomasa looked to his partner, a ginger cat-headed man in full police gear with a look of skepticism.

"Everything was tripled checked because they thought they had made a mistake too but that's just how it comes out," Sansa said with a shrug, "There's no mistaking it. Though it's not like it matters who he is as long as he's here, really."

"We know that's not true," A new voice entered the room and the conversation. It belonged to a blond skeleton in a flesh suit and an actual suit as his piercing blue eyes broke from Tamakawa to the boy behind the glass. "We can't risk the possibility of accomplices, especially if he's connected to _him_. You're fine going in alone?" Yagi asked, voicing his reservations as he took a seat at the table facing the interrogation room.

"No, but it'll work itself out, I'm sure," Naomasa said as he closed the file to give his friend a reassuring smile.

"Well, you would know better than me, Yagi since you work with All Might but I have to wonder what he would be doing with this kid in particular considering his actions," Tamakawa said as he lowered himself into a chair beside Toshinori.

"Well, we'll know soon enough," With that, Naomasa left the room with file in hand. He walked the short distance down the hall to the entrance to the interrogation room. The officer in charge of the door was new, Naomasa noticed since he clearly seemed on edge when he saluted. "Try to keep calm, officer. His quirks have been heavily suppressed so he's no real threat anymore."

"Well, it's not every day you're given the task to guard a person who could keep up with All Might, sir." Naomasa let a small chuckle escape his lips before giving an understanding smile.

"Fair enough but you let me worry about that. You're not the one who has to be in the room with him, after all." the officer took a deep breath before unlocking the door and opening it up for the detective. Naomasa walked into the dimly lit room with only the overhead light to illuminate the boy in front of him. He had been given a change of clothes since he was brought in, likely to replace the burnt rags he had left. Though it had been ten years since he was reported missing, he matched the picture almost perfectly, ignoring the aging. The boy looked up from his handcuffs to meet Naomasa's gaze, shifting in his chair slightly to sit upright.

"Noh, my name is Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi and I'm the one in charge of the Noh case. My quirk allows me to tell if someone is lying or not so think about what you're saying carefully and truthfully while we're talking. I'm sorry if you're a bit uncomfortable being made to wait so long..."

Freckled face, neutral in expression.

"But considering the abrupt nature of your capture, we can't say we were expecting you…"

Green eyes, staring intently.

"I hope you'll be willing to work with us though, Noh… or should I call you…"

Green hair, messy and unkempt.

"Izuku Midoriya?"

The boy in front of him, who had been completely inexpressive since his capture had finally broken his stoic facade. Though maybe not quite the way that Naomasa had expected. He expected anger, denial, and maybe even smugness but he got none of that.

He got genuine confusion.

"Who?"

"That's not your name?"

"No, it isn't." Noh replied with a shake of his head.

"Then what is your real name?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Nope." Cheeky boy. But somehow, still truthful. Naomasa was going to have to change his approach to this because it was clear.

Noh had no idea who he was.

The stare down continued as Naomasa took the file in front of him, opening it before sliding it in front of Noh.

A picture sat at the top of the file. A picture of a four-year-old boy and his mother that was used for a missing poster. Noh tried to keep a neutral face as he looked at the picture but it was clear he was struggling to do so. He tried to pull a hand to his head before the handcuffs that were looked to the desk prevented that.

"I'll tell you what, Noh. We're currently interested in a number of things surrounding your situation and I feel you may be able to shed some light on some facts for us. I'm going to offer you a deal," Noh opened his eyes and looked back up to Naomasa with tears in his eyes. The picture seemed to invoke a powerful response in the boy. It seemed he was on the right track after all. "If you cooperate, we'll lighten your sentence and even allow a different way to serve it besides jail time."

"So you want a plea bargain? Against who?" Noh wiped the tears from his eyes and refocused them on Naomasa's

"Whoever gave you all those fancy tricks you showed us earlier as well as the last four years." Noh looked back down at the file in front of him, though he wasn't having the same reaction as before so Naomasa could only imagine what was awakened by the picture. Noh closed the file before pushing it back. "Why don't we start with what you do know. Start from the very beginning and tell me how you ended up like this." Naomasa grabbed the file back as it was clear it wasn't helping matters yet. "Maybe more will come back to you as we go."

"Okay then…"

**A/N: Not exactly sure what I'm doing here but giving this idea a shot because MHA's world is a fun one and one I've always wanted to play around in. Let me know if you're interested in more. I do have all of Izuku's story planned out so I would be willing to keep going if people are interested. Future chapter's will be longer than this but I mostly want to see if this is a good idea or not before committing the time and effort that it would take. Let me know what you think in the review section if this is good or hog trash.**

**Edit: Here's some warnings: Ochako has OFA, Minoru and Tsuyu are major characters (with ball boy being heavily tweaked to be less disgusting), Eri is rescued and Izuku adopts her. Everything else is for you to find out.**

**Sal out!**


	2. Ch 2: I'm Nohbody

**Ch. 2: I'm Nohbody**

_**BOOM! BANG! CRASH!**_

* * *

"My first memory… I remember waking one night to what sounded like an all-out war. Like someone was dropping bombs all over the place. The room I was in looked like kinda like a hospital room or maybe a morgue? I was lying on a metal cart or something that had been pressed up against the wall with a sheet laid over me. I was only wearing a black jumpsuit and some black boots. I sat up quickly after another explosion rocked the building I was in, causing me to get another shower of dust and my whole body to ache with just the worst pain I've ever been able to remember."

"Did you remember anything before waking up?"

"Not a thing. I didn't even have much time to question what was happening as my body just started to move as if to get away from whatever was going on. Though I ended up fall flat on my face trying to get off the cart."

* * *

"Oof!" The boy said as he hit the ground hard. He tried to command his body to stand up but progress was slow moving but was still progress. He looked down at his hands as he pushed himself up and noticed something shiny around his wrist. It was a bracelet with something written on it: S. Nomu (SN1113). He thought for a second if that was what his name before his head started to hurt. Nomu… something about that word was… horrible. Brief flashes appeared in his head but were so foggy he couldn't make anything out.

Another bang reminded him that now wasn't a good time to lay around. He eventually found his footing before making his way to the only door leading out of the room. "Nomu" reached for the handle and pulled the door open by pulling it clean off the hinges, nearly smacking himself with the door. The surprised boy threw the door away and ran out into the pitch-black hallway leading in two directions, his eyes shutting with frustration. He opened his eyes to find the hallway was now lit up but was gray everywhere over every inch of the hallway, allowing him to see the stairs leading upwards.

Filing the questions away for later, "Nomu" climbed the steps, broke another door opening it, and ran out of a hole in the wall leading into the street. The shockwaves of a huge battle that "Nomu" couldn't see were still ringing though the night but now outside, he could now properly get the hell away from it. "Nomu" found which direction the fight was coming from and ran as fast as his aching body would allow him to in the exact opposite direction, only stopping when the sounds did. "Nomu" found his way to a park and just collapsed on the grass, passing out from the pain and exhaustion soon after.

* * *

Naomasa listened to the story carefully as he poured a glass of water for himself and Noh. "S. Nomu"? Was that to change his identity in some way or was there something else there? But that was minor compared to the other big detail. He had his suspicions about where this was going but he had to be sure. "So how long ago was this fight that you remember hearing?"

"April 4th, I think, 5 and a half years ago," Noh said after taking a sip of water, not at all aware of how significant that statement was. So, he was nearby for Toshinori's big fight that night. He was also surprised that no one seemed to find him after he passed out. He had to wonder how Toshinori was taking this from the next room.

"So, after that, I imagine that you were taken in by someone?" Noh cocked his head slightly at Naomasa's deduction, a smirk appearing on his face.

"How'd you figure that out? You sure the police didn't just miss me while I was taking a nap in a park?"

"While that is possible, the event you were mentioning, while not a publicly well-known one, was a very busy night for us so we naturally had searched everywhere we could over a large radius for any villains. I'd like to think we're not so incompetent that we would miss a sleeping nine-year-old lying in a park," Naomasa said with a smile of his own.

"Fair enough," Noh conceded, "You were right though. I was found by my dad,"

"Your dad?"

"Not the one you're probably thinking of but he was so kind to me that he might as well have been. He taught me pretty much everything I know, even if he probably wouldn't be proud of how I've used it."

"What was his name?"

* * *

"Nomu" awoke again to the feeling of sunlight hitting his eyes though a nearby window, his body filled with warmth from the soft bed and heavy blankets. His body still ached but it was much more bearable compared to before. "Nomu" forced his body to sit up despite the pain before a hand pushed him backed down. Fear filled his mind at the new presence as "Nomu's" fear-stricken face turned to the hand's owner. A middle-aged man with slightly graying black hair and piercing hazel eyes.

"Calm down, I'm not going to harm you," The man explained in a gentle, calming voice as he removed his hand and stepped back to the other side of the room, "I'm simply here to help you and to do that, you need to stay in bed and rest."

"Nomu" surveyed the room, content now that the man had moved away but still ready to try and book it at any second. It was a small bedroom with only the bed and a nightstand to fill it. The window was right next to the bed and was shut but unlocked. The man, dressed in a white Gi with a black belt around the waist was between him and the door so if he needed to escape, the window was his best shot at the moment.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" "Nomu" asked as he tried and failed to hide the panic in his voice. He ran his hand through his shoulder-length green hair to keep it out of his eyes.

"Tai Saichirou, call me Tai if you want, my apartment above the dojo I run, and hell if I know, kid but you've been out cold all night and it's three in the afternoon," Tai answered in quick succession. "What about you? You got a name?

"Nomu" thought for a second. Did he? The bracelet he was wearing before was on the nightstand next to him. S. Nomu (SN1113). It was about the closest he had to a name but he didn't know what the S stood for.

"I don't know my name…" "Nomu" replied.

"You don't? So, what's on the bracelet then?" Tai asked incredulously, as if "Nomu" had the balls to lie to his face.

"I don't know but I honestly don't remember my name…" the boy looked away from Tai, unable to face him, "Or much of anything really. I remember waking up in some sort of weird room on a metal… cart thing to what sounded like explosions but before that… nothing…"

Tai looked the boy in front of him over as a silence filled the room. His face was filled with pain, confusion, and fear. As it stood, the boy wasn't sure of anything at the moment. So…

"Seigo," Tai spoke, breaking the silence. The boy looked up, confused. "Your name. Gotta call you something, don't I? If your name is not on that bracelet and you don't know what it is, we'll just make a new one for now. How does that sound?" Tai finished with a warm smile.

Seigo. It was better than nothing he supposed. At the very least, it gave him a better feeling than "Nomu". The boy nodded, accepting the name. He was now Seigo. Before he could ask anything though, Seigo's stomach growled.

"Well, now that we have that straightened out, I'll bring you some food. That stomach of yours knows what's best after sleeping for so long," Tai joked as he left the room, leaving Seigo with his thoughts. What was going to happen next…?

* * *

"Tai Saichirou, huh?" Naomasa asked after he took another drink of water. "And he called you Seigo?"

"He later claimed he called me that because it started with an S like on the bracelet. Like it would somehow jump-start my memory or something."

"So how long before you were adopted," Seigo's left eyebrow quirked upwards. "You were the one that called him 'dad'," Naomasa put up his hands in mock defense.

"Well, if you let me tell the story, three weeks later," Seigo answered, a bit of sass hanging through his words. "I told him I didn't remember having any parents and he apparently couldn't find out anything about me."

"Did you know why he couldn't?"

"A little at the time but…."

* * *

"A criminal record?" Seigo parroted what Tai had just said, nearly choking on his own breakfast.

"Yes, as hard as it is to believe, the man whose been giving you shelter for the past few weeks is a "convicted felon"," Tai explained, air quotes showing his hatred for it. "I'm innocent of the crime for what it's worth but I suppose that's hard to believe. I don't trust the police because of that but if you do, you're free to go to them at any time. I won't stop you."

"But, if you were innocent, why were you sent to prison?"

"My sentence was shortened to only one year because I pleaded guilty. It would have been much longer with the trial as well as my sentence being its original length. Besides, the conviction rate in this country has been over 95% for over two hundred years. My chances of freedom were so slim, it was better to just say I was guilty and get my time in prison over with."

Despite how relaxed Tai had spoken, it was clear to anyone with ears that he hated the people that put him away. Seigo could feel it too as he felt a tightness in his heart at the injustice done to the man in front of him.

"Hey, don't go crying on my account," Tai spoke, causing Seigo to realize that he let some tears out. "It was a long time ago and almost no one even knows I've got a record. It's not like there's a big neon sign outside my dojo stating: Aikido! Taught by Convicted Felon Tai Saichirou!" Tai exclaiming like he was a salesman trying to get people to buy a bad idea, getting a laugh out of Seigo.

"So, what was the crime?"

"Hmm… maybe when you're older, we can talk about it," Tai dodged, sending Seigo the signal to drop it as he finished eating. "For now, we should look more into finding your parents."

* * *

"Ah, so he didn't trust the police then?" Naomasa had to suppress a sigh. He wasn't the first convict to be distrustful of the police and he sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

"Would you trust a system that places innocent people in an unwinnable situation? Would you trust a system that looks at the innocent and guilty and says there's no difference if they were brought to trial? He probably believed that if he took me to the police, they'd think _he_ was the kidnapper despite him pretty much saving my life," Seigo struck back, venom in his voice.

"Every police officer is different and I know for a fact that not all of them are on the level so I won't refute your claims that we wouldn't look at him as a possible suspect in your kidnapping," Naomasa conceded. He knew for every good cop out there, there had to be at least one dirty cop that only cares about how many arrests they make and wouldn't think twice about placing the blame on a felon just to get the case over and done with. It was a sad reality but reality nonetheless. "It probably wouldn't have done him much good anyway. You had been missing for five years by that point and while we do keep records on people who go missing, we tend to file them as cold cases by that point. For all we knew, you were long dead," Naomasa bluntly retorted, not even trying to defend the procedures of the police department but it wasn't something he could change at the moment. "And most cops, unfortunately, are not willing to listen to convicted felons and it's a shame because there's a lot of good they can do if they're helped onto the right track." Seigo smirked at that last line.

"You sound like you're trying to reform me or something,"

"According to our records, you turned fifteen last July, four months ago and as far as our reports go, your only targets up to this point have been criminals themselves. The crimes you've been charged with is vigilantism, theft, illegal quirk use, and resisting arrest. I think it's a bit too early to think you're beyond help," Seigo tried to hide the quiet gasp of shock, but Naomasa caught it all the same. "Let's return to the story. Now I've been patient with this but I think at this point we've got to address the elephant in the room. Your quirk… or should we file it under quirks?

"Definitely plural." Seigo responded a knowing look. They both knew it was unnatural but how bad was it really.

"How plural are we talking here?"

"Six or seven, I think." Seigo said with all the emotion of selecting a drink at a restaurant, completely undercutting just how important that statement was. Six or seven quirks inside one person? Completely unheard of… outside of one case.

"You don't know exactly?"

"I have my suspicions that I might have another quirk that just some sort of enhancer of… brain power, I guess? I can't tell if I'm naturally smart or It's quirk-based." Arrogant kid, Naomasa thought.

"How smart are you?"

"Dad handed me an IQ test once. I got 156," He leaned a bit closer to Naomasa, "And I gave you guys the slip for four straight years and made plenty of heroes and villains look silly. Go me."

"Impressive but not exactly unprecedented." Naomasa replied, a bit irked by Seigo's disrespect but it wasn't worth the time trying to fix here. "Child prodigies without brain quirks are rare but not implausible."

"That's why I'm not sure but given everything else about me, I wouldn't right it off."

"What are the quirks you know for sure? We have our suspicions but I'd rather we heard it from the horse's mouth," Naomasa noticed after he finished talking but he saw Seigo smile again. Only it wasn't the cheeky smirk he displayed a few times now.

This one was more sincere.

"I'll explain them as we go but I've already talked about two of them. The first one was the one that ripped doors off the hinges when I made my escape and the second was the night vision. The first was a full body enhancer I call Body Burst which as far as we could tell just improved all of my physical abilities by about two times." Naomasa could see a spark of something in Seigo's eyes. Like he was really interested in quirks and seeing what they can do.

"Lift a hundred pounds and then lift two hundred just as easily, right?"

"Yeah, basically, but I could also run faster, jump higher, react faster, everything that my body could do, it could do it better with Body Burst. The other is what I call Full-Spectrum. I can actually see across the light spectrum from ultraviolet to infrared but only one part at a time. I can't have infrared vision and ultraviolet at the same time and my infrared is split between night vision and thermal." Something was fishy there...

"That doesn't make any sense though. Just because you can see in infrared doesn't mean you'd be able to see in a pitch-black room without infrared light itself,"

"My eyes actually are what create the light, like they're flashlights or something. So, I have to be careful using it if someone had night vision goggles or something as they'd pick out the two beams of light coming out of my head in an instant and I'd be really screwed then."

"That explains that," a very impressive quirk indeed, Naomasa thought as Seigo gushed about his quirk. "So does UV turn everything purple to you?"

"Actually, yeah it does," Seigo replied, his sincere smile still not fading from his face. The enthusiasm for quirks was a little infectious.

"I've got to ask, do you like talking about quirks in general or do you like showing off?" The question seemed to catch Seigo off guard for a second but he rebounded quickly, smile in tow.

"I've always wanted to know more about quirks and all the different ways people have used them. It's actually the reason I've been able to give you guys the slip for so long. If I didn't know what Eraserhead could and couldn't do, he would have caught me years ago."

"So, knowledge was power, right?"

"Well yes, but it wasn't just that," Seigo continued. "You have people like Death Arms who has a strength enhancing quirk powered by electricity, and then you have someone like Best Jeanist who controls the fibers of people's clothes to restrain and control villains and civilians alike. The variety of quirks and their non-stop potential is… insane is probably too weak a word for it. I guess it was more I was so hungry to learn more in a way."

Naomasa began to feel a bit uneasy. Most villains, by the grace of God, didn't do much research on Pro Hero quirks which made them less threatening. But if they did, it was a pain to stop any of them except with, ironically, pros that literally just started out since they were complete unknowns to the public and by extension, villains.

And here's the Criminal Thief, Noh, talking about quirks like he's doing an oral report at school. No wonder it took them four years to catch this kid.

"I thought that maybe," Naomasa was ripped from his thoughts as Seigo resumed, "That if I could learn more about quirks and how they affect us, it would help me discover why I had so many of them to begin with," Seigo looked at his cuffed hand with sadness. Naomasa could tell that having so many quirks would definitely make him a very rare breed of human. Which more often than not, leads to only more pain. That feeling of no one truly knowing what you're going though can lead people down a dark path.

"Well, I might already be able to answer 'why'?" Seigo's smile fade in a flash and shifted to anger. Though he didn't overreact. He still knew what situation he was in but it was clear he had to know what Naomasa knew.

"Why? Why do I have so many quirks?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure but if you keep telling the truth, I'll share my theory. Sound fair?" By the look on Seigo's face, no, it certainly did not.

"I've told you a lot already!" Seigo shouted, clearly anxious to know. "I had everything ripped from me by the people who did to me and you're just not going to tell me?! Dangle that carrot in front of me just to toy with me?!"

"Call it what you will but remember that you are in no position to bargain," Naomasa countered calmly, trying to defuse the situation carefully. "As long as you do what we ask, we'll answer any questions you have when this is over. And if it's the man I'm thinking of, he isn't even alive for what's it's worth."

Seigo calmed down almost instantly at that, anger giving way to shock. Naomasa could tell now why Seigo has done what he's done now. He wanted answers. He wanted vengeance.

And he wasn't getting either. Why was he given quirks? Who could say? There was no one left to ask as far as anyone knew. The secret died with _him_.

Naomasa looked at his watch. It was almost five in the morning. He should wrap this up soon.

"How are you feeling? Up for more or do you want to call it here for today?" Naomasa asked, earning a look of mild surprise from Seigo before his smirk reappeared.

"Past your bedtime?" he asked playfully.

"I prefer being in bed by three at the latest," Naomasa snarked, earning a small laugh from Seigo.

"Well, I'm pretty used to all-nighters anyway so I'm still good for now,"

"In that case, how about we speed through this a little. What was it like living with Mr. Tai Saichirou? You mentioned he taught you everything you know. Such as?"

"How to use my quirks…"

* * *

"Okay, so let's see how good you've gotten with your quirks. I've got five pictures hidden in the apartment and you need to find them after I've turned the lights off," Tai explained as he walked over to the circuit breaker. "I'll give you a five second head start before I come chasing after you," Tai tapped the night vision goggles in his hand as a warning. "Ready, set, go!" Darkness flooded the apartment Tai flipped the master switch. A problem for most people but for Seigo, it was easy enough as he flipped on his infrared. He walked five steps into the kitchen before his shadow sprung into a fully formed Seigo, only different by the pitch blackness of everything but it's emerald eyes. His shadow took off, running further into the house as Seigo felt the sensation of falling into the floor, becoming one with the shadow of a nearby chair.

Tai rounded the corner, goggles on his head as examined the kitchen. The L-shaped island counter had three chairs on one side, two on the other, perfect spots for Seigo to hide but he could still hear sounds coming from around the house. Tai quickly moved to the living room but still saw nothing out of the ordinary. Seigo had gotten much better at being hard to find in the dark. Just then a sound came from further in, the sound of glass breaking. Tai couldn't help but smile, the boy was still pretty clumsy. He ran his bedroom where the sound had come from to find a black mass holding one of the pictures that he had just dropped. The black Seigo looked towards Tai but was too slow as Tai bonked him on the head, causing the shadow to disappear.

"Shadow Double. Clever but not good enough," Tai remarked as he sneaked towards the living room, finding Seigo picking up a picture. Tai just shook his head as he snuck up behind his son.

"Found you." Seigo jumped into the air but was too slow as Tai wrapped his arms around him, son flailing to escape the bear grip. "You lose." Seigo stopped flailing as he was let go. "Shadow Double to lead a person away from your Shadow Merge. A good trick but maybe don't try it in a small place like this," Seigo sat down on the couch and crossed his arms.

"It only failed because you know my quirks as well as I do," Seigo pouted, clearly mad. "It also doesn't help when you go all out on me.

"I held back a little. I knew you merged with a chair's shadow from minute one but I followed your double regardless to give you a chance," Tai admitted with a smirk. The smirk didn't make Seigo feel any better. "You've definitely have gotten much better though so how about I make katsudon for dinner?" Seigo's pout turned to joy at the mention of his favorite food being on the menu.

"All right!"

"But first, let's get the lights back on. Can't cook well in the dark," Tai said as he left the living room, an eager Seigo in tow. However, when Tai turned the corner to enter the kitchen, he found Seigo crash into him. Crash into _the front of him_, looking just as confused as he was as he fell on his butt. Tai turned around to see that Seigo had indeed vanished from behind him in the living room to directly in front of him in the kitchen in less than a second. And for some reason... was also naked.

"Son… how did you do that?" Tai got down onto his knee as he looked at Seigo with concern.

"I… I don't really know. I remember following after you and then I closed my eyes and then I ran into you," Tai took a breath. Great. Another one. Seigo looked down to see that he was now naked and quickly covered his privates, "Where'd my clothes go?!

"Looks like we found another quirk for you to use,"

"Really?! Awesome!" Seigo exclaimed as he found his clothes and quickly put them back on. Tai turned the lights back on and then walked into the kitchen and then saw something that nearly made his jaw drop that he didn't notice it. While the lights were out, Seigo had been leaving a trail of black Xs all over the floor wherever he stepped. It must have been connected.

"Seigo, walk over to the window," Seigo nodded, walking over to the window at the edge of the kitchen, Xs left in his wake. "Now I want you to come back to me with the new quirk." Seigo focused on getting back but nothing happened. "Okay, try focusing on this specific X right here," Tai motioned with his foot, "and think, 'I need to get there now!' and see if that works. Oh and try and bring your clothes with you this time," Seigo closed his eyes before focusing on the X again. This time it worked. Seigo disappeared instantly with a pop as if he never existed to begin with and reappeared next to Tai just as quickly... in only his underwear but it was a start. Great, a warp quirk to add to the collection. They'd need to figure out the specifics later but for right now… they needed to stop him from covering the house in black marks.

* * *

"Shadow Merge, Shadow Double, and now a warp quirk too? Now I see how you pulled off all those getaways. We never had a chance," Naomasa conceded, reminded of the nightmare in front of him. If the cuffs he was wearing weren't suppressing his quirks, he could have broken out whenever the hell he felt like it. "If we didn't have Eraserhead and All Might, we'd never have caught you."

"Pretty much," Seigo agreed, well aware of how difficult it was to catch him. "So, you want the rundown on those too?"

"If you could," Seigo's eyes lit up. It was quirk talk time!

"In brief, Shadow Merge turns me into a shadow and I follow that shadow wherever it may go. If I merged with the shadow of a car, I go as fast as that car would go. Shadow Double just makes another me except it's all pitch black, can't talk and can use any of my quirks. Finally, my favorite quirk of mine, Targeted Warp. I can mark a location and warp to it. I can mark objects and warp them to me. Though I can only move so much at once," Seigo explained with the widest of grins. Being in an interrogation room talking about quirks might as well have been heaven for the boy. "Satisfied?"

"More or less," Naomasa felt tired all of a sudden and not because it was half past five in the morning. That makes five confirmed quirks. "By my count that leaves one more, correct?" Naomasa smiled as he looked at Seigo whose own friendly smile hadn't changed as he nodded.

"It's not as impressive as the others but I actually have one called Bio Scanner. I can detect all living things in fifty meters of me, even through walls. And if I've seen them with my own eyes, I can even differentiate them from others. I can also tell how likely a person is to be a threat to me,"

Naomasa could feel his heart reach his stomach as his smile faded and he was sure Toshinori on the other side of the glass wall behind him was faring any better. The kid was a second away from finding out the biggest secret of the number 1 hero in the country and the only thing stopping him was a pair of handcuffs.

"What's wrong?" Seigo, in a rare display of concern, asked the officer if he said something weird or a lie or something.

"It's nothing. You didn't say a lie or anything," Seigo seemed to relax a bit. Did he somehow trick him into thinking he was lying about something he _should know better than anyone_? "It's just with everything I learn about you, I start to realize just how difficult you were to catch," Naomasa recovered his smile as well as Seigo as the atmosphere lightened again. "So that's all the quirks?" Seigo nods to this but Naomasa feels uneasy about it. _"Then what was that thing All Might told him about? He's not lying but still...' _"I must say, your skillset is almost perfect for infiltration and escape. No wonder you were able to steal from an entire criminal organization with almost laughable ease," Naomasa stated aloud, almost praising him for his abilities.

"I wish it was as easy as I made it look," Seigo replied with a small chuckle, seeming almost bashful at the praise.

"Anything else you were taught by Saichirou?"

"He taught me the basics of Aikido,"

"How far did you get on that?"

"With him, I got to 4th kyu so not all that far. But I kept training by myself using books to help so I'd say I might be at maybe 2nd Kyu."

"Quite modest all things considered. My sister is a 1st dan in aikido and you could probably give her a run for her money,"

"Who knows," Seigo said with a shrug. "Kinda wished he had something like Krav Maga or something more offensive but the basic training I got from him has saved my life a few times."

"Was there anything else about your life with Saichirou that would be important?"

"Not really, no. Other than that, the days were pretty basic. Wake up, eat breakfast, practice aikido, practice quirks, eat lunch, shower, and I'd have the rest of the day to do… whatever." For the most part, there seemed to be nothing of interest in the day to day livelihood of these two… but for them to become as close as a father and son in one year was bizarre and had to have more to it. But it wouldn't help this investigation much anyway.

"So, do you know exactly what happened to him? We received word that he 'disappeared' but never found him. All we know is that he left specific instructions in case he ever went missing," Seigo looked down at the table as Naomasa spoke, green hair obscuring his eyes.

"Y-Yeah… he d-died after us living together for 14 months or so," Naomasa could hear the pain and sadness in his shaky voice.

"Do you know how he died?" Naomasa braced himself. He was now going to learn about what drives the thief Noh. Seigo looked up with tears and rage in his eyes

"He was turned to ash… by a villain!"

* * *

**A/N: Lord this took a while but I'm glad I waited because my new cover art is also done! Look at that hotness I commissioned from Zoe-oneesama. Oh, it's perfect! Oh sunshine! Check out their stuff if you ever get a chance, it's really great stuff.**

**Anyway, before you ask, yes, it is Izuku. I'm calling him Seigo because that's the name he thinks is his.**

**Anyway, next chapter is about the birth and rise of Noh so look forward to that. Anyway, review, favorite, follow and all that good stuff and I'll see you much sooner.**

**Sal out!**


	3. Ch 3: Noh Time for Mourning

**Ch. 3: Noh Time for Mourning**

Seigo walked out of the bathroom after a nice relaxing shower from today's training with a smile on his face. It was so nice to be squeaky clean after smelling like gym socks for the last four hours. Though he was happy at the chance to relax

'_Dad really ran me ragged lately. I had to fight five matches yesterday,'_ Seigo thought as he dried his hair on the way to his room to change into clean clothes. _'It's like he's afraid of something coming for me or something… well I guess most people don't have as many quirks as me so I would probably raise more than a few eyebrows if anyone noticed… and called the police… and turned me into a human guinea pig to figure out why I have so many quirks…"'_

After putting on some nice jeans, white socks, and an All Might shirt that Tai bought him a couple months ago for his "birthday". They didn't know his birthday so they just treated the day they met as his birthday, April 4th.

Seigo walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out a big bowl of what Tai called a "hobo stew" which was another way to say a bunch of meats and vegetables thrown in a pot of broth. Still tasty though, Seigo admitted as he poured himself a smaller bowl to pop into the microwave. After waiting four minutes, stirring periodically, he sat down and enjoyed his stew. He could hear a set of footsteps approaching, causing Bio Scanner to flip on in curiosity.

Tai. Who else would it be? Sure enough, walking through the door, was the big man himself. He was reading something on his phone before putting it in his pocket, his face looking impassive.

"Seigo, after you're done eating, why don't you head out for some fresh air. It would do you some good after all the time you spend cooped up in here," Tai tried to seem pretty calm and relaxed about everything but his son was no fool.

"What's going on, Dad?" Seigo asked as he swallowed some of his stew.

"I'm expecting someone in an hour and I have a bad feeling your presence would lead to… problems for you," Tai's voice was even but even Seigo can hear the annoyance in his voice. Besides, Seigo knew better than to argue when it comes to hiding what he could do. He wouldn't let him hide in the shadows before and he won't let him now. Not after he nearly gave a parent a heart attack when Tai was speaking about a particular disciple's… less than acceptable behavior.

"Okay… If you say so," Seigo wanted to pout about basically being forced out of the house.

"Hey, don't make that face. It'll be fine in the end, alright? Just me talking with some guy, no different from the other ones I have to talk with," Seigo wasn't convinced but forgot about it when Tai wrapped him in a hug.

Hugs were rare but nice when they came. Seigo returned the hug with gusto, happy to feel the warmth coming from his dad.

"Be safe while you're out and if you get into trouble?"

"Get out of there immediately!" Seigo responded with a confident smile.

"That's my boy," Tai said as he ruffled his son's hair affectionately before heading to the backroom.

* * *

It was a nice, warm June day as Seigo was seated at a bench at the park a block away from Tai's Dojo. He couldn't believe it's been fourteen months since he passed out here. It was honestly making him wonder how much time had flown by. He could see a few little kids playing heroes, bringing a smile to his face. He didn't get to see many heroes but when he did, he couldn't explain the excitement it made him feel or even why he felt it. It was just how he was.

"Let's go everyone, we need to find us a villain, defeat them, and save the day!" The blond in front rallied his troops for battle against a foe they hadn't faced yet.

"Which one of us is going to be the villain though?" A little boy with black hair among them asked, voice even and matching his blank, passive expression. The kids all seemed like they didn't know who to have for a villain. It also wasn't the best role to play since everyone would gang up on you. Seigo thought about it for a second but since he needed to kill some time anyway while he waited for Dad to be finished with whatever it was, he was getting ready for. Besides, he rarely played with other kids.

"Hey, if you guys need a villain, how about I play the part?" Seigo asked as he walked up the group. The kids had to be five to… maybe seven years old.

"Who are you?" Asked a girl that Seigo somehow completely missed. Her hair was black and had the same blank, emotionless expression as the boy who was currently trying to hide behind her. Though her face was blank, Bio Scanner's threat detector was sending every alarm bell in the world, mostly _"touch that boy and your face will be a lot more acquainted with the ground."_

"H-hi, my name's Seigo Saichirou, my dad's the owner of a local aikido dojo nearby," Seigo introduced himself, trying to hide the fear of God that the girl was putting in him. Tai's first rule: Be afraid but never show it.

"Oh yeah, you're the guy who beat up my brother yesterday in a match! That was so cool how you throw him around like that!" One of the boys suddenly recognized him. "I wish I could be as strong as that!"

"Oh, you're Noboru's brother, right? He's not still mad he lost to me, is he? He seemed to be avoiding me today at practice," Seigo hoped there were no hard feelings. He only ever wanted to get along with the other disciples.

"Aw, he's fine! I don't know what his problem is but he'll get over it because he always does!" Seigo turned back to the girl with a smile on his face.

"What's your name?"

The girl's eyes seemed to be less… deadly, as she relaxed a little. The kid vouching for him must have calmed her down. A little.

"Tsuyu Asui, this is my brother Samidare. We just moved in a little while ago so we don't know the area all that well."

"Ah, sorry to just walk up like that. I don't get out much so only the other disciples really know who I am. Sorry about that," Seigo bowed his head to the girl in apology before straightening up to look at her. All she was wearing was a green dress and some sneakers as far as Seigo could see but he was still getting signals _not_ to mess with her.

"It's alright, ribbit. Hmm… Maybe I should try this aikido thing… It might help someday," There was an unmistakable edge in there as the girl put a long finger on her chin in contemplation. This girl was dangerous enough was all Seigo could think but…

"We'd love to have you, Asui! Dad's always looking for new disciples so we can keep the lights-"

"Hey can we play now?" Seigo was interrupted by one of the kids, clearly growing bored and impatient.

"Yeah, you said you'd be the villain!" Another chimed in, ready for action.

"I hope you're not lying!" The blond leader punched into his open palm as he readied himself. The action sparked something inside Seigo as a sudden headache approached.

"Ow…" Seigo grabbed his head as he looked at the now concerned blond boy in front of him. He saw it for only an instant. Another blond boy with spiky hair appeared with a smirk, saying something he couldn't quite hear like he was speaking underwater or something. They were at a playground like this one but… different.

"Are you okay?" Asui was looking at him, with an expression of worry, something that was more surprising than the headache if Seigo was being honest. That boy… where did he see that boy from? Well, it wouldn't do any good to think about it now. Not with all the kids around him.

"I'm fine… I just get headaches sometimes," Seigo scratched the back of his neck for a second with a sheepish smile before turning to the group, striking a pose he saw a villain do on a cartoon before. "Alright, heroes! You think you can take the devious Seigo down?! I'd like to see you try!"

"And his evil partner, Tsuyu." Seigo turned to his left to see Asui join up in the game, even if here expression was just as blank as ever. Girl was full of surprises. "Let's see if you can take us both down, puny heroes." The kids roared as they charged the duo, forcing them to flee at a speed they could keep up with.

* * *

After playing with the little kids for about an hour, Seigo and Asui sat down at the bench from earlier to catch their breath.

"Gotta say, I wasn't expecting you to join, Asui," Seigo said with a sigh as he leaned into the bench. With aikido training, quirk practice, and now this, Seigo was getting pretty tired.

"I knew my brother wouldn't play if I didn't join in. Didn't think it would be that much fun though," Seigo had to admit, it _was_ really fun to play with all the little kids. It just brought a smile to his face when they were smiling. I guess that's what All Might means when he says he's a hero to put smiles on everyone's faces. It wouldn't be all that bad now that he thought about it. Maybe he could be a hero too… Though that was a long way off so it didn't matter right now but something to think about. Maybe Dad could help him. "So Saichirou-"

"You can call me Seigo, Asui. It would be quicker that way," Seigo cut her off. It's not that he didn't like his new family name. It was more a matter of efficiency with him. _'It also doesn't help whenever i'm with Dad and someone goes "Saichirou" and we both look,'_

"Just like that?" Asui looked at him curiously with a long finger on her chin.

"Just like that," Seigo replied with a smile.

"How about I call you Sei then and you can call me Tsu," she suggested, her normal monotone turning a bit more jovial. "It'll be even quicker then,"

"Fair enough, Tsu. I guess that makes us friends then, huh?" Seigo stated, not really thinking about it so he was a bit surprised by her reaction.

"Friends…" Tsu looked at Seigo like he said the nicest thing in the world to her. "Friends it is then," she said with the first smile Seigo's seen all day.

Before Seigo could talk to perhaps his first real friend, Bio Scanner went off. A threat was detected. Two people were on their way, looking for him and they certainly weren't friendly! He couldn't warp home yet since Dad hadn't texted him the all clear so the only choice was to hide. _'The park bench shadow, perfect!'_

"Tsu, listen to me, if anyone asks for me in the next minute, say I made a run for it out the gate," Seigo explained calmly as he stepped on the shadow.

"What do you-" but by the time she got that much out, Seigo had disappeared into the shadow itself, startling her at the use of his quirk in public. Not a few seconds after Seigo disappeared, Tsu noticed a man in gray hoodie run into the park, looking around feverishly. The two locked eyes, green to red. As he walked up to her, she could see that he towered over her and gave off a menacing aura. She could also see his scarred and wrinkled face clearly as his white hair fell over it.

"Have you seen a boy with green hair and green eyes anywhere? About your age?" He said calmly in a raspy voice as if he hadn't had a glass of water in weeks. He was after Seigo… and Tsu could tell that this guy was no friend of his or he would have come out by now

"He left out that gate over there not two minutes ago," Tsu spoke as she pointed to the gate on the other side of the park that the man had come in from, thankful that she wasn't expressive enough to freak out about this.

"Bah… looks like I missed him," the man was scratching his neck at a frantic pace, annoyance coating his every word as he ran out of the park the way she pointed. Tsu waited until he was gone but somehow it still didn't feel safe so she waited until Seigo came out himself… about five minutes later.

"You were down there for a long time," Tsu spoke as Seigo fell to his hands and knees after fully emerging from the bench's shadow, "Seigo, why were they after you?"

"Tsu… I need to head home, right now!" There was urgency in his voice that put Tsu off guard. It made sense, though: if someone like that man had been looking for her, she'd run home too."

"Okay, well see you later, then. I'm gonna grab my brother and head home too. I don't want to be around when that guy realized I tricked him," Tsu quickly got from the bench to grab her brother, while Seigo didn't waste any time. As soon as he was out of sight, he warped back to his room, inside his closet.

Bio Scanner roared to life as he searched for threats, finding nothing… not even finding Tai.

"Must be out of range… or out all together," Seigo tried to convince himself. Confident that there was no one to harm him, he walked out of the closet and was greeted with a big mess. Someone had just trashed the whole apartment. That guy from earlier as well as the second presence he felt… they were after him so they were probably looking for him. Seigo ran downstairs to the dojo, to see if there was a clue as to where Tai went.

What greeted him when he reached the bottom collapsed his whole world. Lying in a pile of ash and dust in the middle of the dojo was Tai's Gi and belt and a knocked over bench. Nothing else. No sign of the man who took him in… just ash and his Gi. Seigo brain shut down, unable to process anything except for one thing.

"NOOOOO!"

* * *

"Were you sure it was him," Naomasa asked, now looking at the crying child in front of him. Gone was the cheeky thief who made life miserable for villains and heroes alike from before. Now in his place, was a vulnerable child, clearly still grieving about his dad's murder.

"I was in denial for a little while, until I found a note inside my closet. It told me to check the secret compartment behind bench #4 in the dojo for the full story of who he was and the people that came for me… and him."

"A secret compartment?" Naomasa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He used to use sweets so he could have the occasional snack without heading upstairs,"

"What did you find?"

"A digital recorder, recording his whole conversation between him and two men," Jackpot. Something useful.

"Can you tell me what was said,"

"I could never forget it,"

* * *

Seigo rewound the recorder to its earliest possible point, anxious to hear what Tai had left for him. After hearing the click of it hitting the beginning of the message, he hit play and braced himself.

"Hi, Seigo," Tai's voice came through after a second, his voice still calming to Seigo's ears as if nothing was wrong. "If you're hearing this, then I've reached the end of my road," Seigo's breath hitched in his throat. He knew it… But he just couldn't accept it before. Now, there was no debate. Tai knew it was coming and had sent him out to prevent him from getting involved. Did he not trust him? Was he that useless to him that he needed to get him out of the way?! "But please don't cry. It's not over for you yet. They'll be coming for you and if you waste time crying, they won't show you any mercy. I have three things I need to tell you. First, head to my room and find my kitsune Noh mask and inside is an address and a copy of my will. Head there and hand that to my sister and you'll be taken care of. Next, another address to my storage unit containing everything I used in my old job and the key to open it as well as one million yen hidden in the safe under my bed. 30 left, 36 right, 2 left. And lastly… This last year was the best of my life. I've ruined a lot of lives but yours is the first I saved for someone else's sake. I love you and never believe anything different, no matter what you hear about me. I'm sorry I had to send you away but I couldn't risk them taking you. These monsters can't be reasoned with and I'm not sure if they could be beaten by ourselves. You're too young and inexperienced and I've grown old and have no quirk of my own anymore."

'_Anymore?'_ Seigo, despite how touched by his dad's heartfelt words, couldn't help but notice his phrasing.

"I can't protect you anymore but know I leave with no regrets in anything I've done for you. I don't know what you'll choose to do with your quirks and your skills but I know you'll be great so do what you feel is right for you. Don't worry about what I would think, just keep breathing, keep surviving and keep fighting until you get to where you need to go. Though I may die here, I'll always be with you. Goodbye, son."

The tape kept rolling as the sounds of the tape being placed in the secret compartment, before being moved to the center of the room played on. There was silence for a good minute before…

The sound of a light wind filled the room. "Good afternoon, Master Saichirou," A deep, almost gentlemanly voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Or should I call you 'Transporter'"

"Saichirou is my name now. I walked away from that old life with your master's permission." Tai replied, voice even and respectful.

"So, you're the one Sensei was talking about, huh? You don't look like much to me, old man," Another raspy voice came through, one Seigo recognized immediately. It was the man from the park!

"Looks can be deceiving, Shigaraki," The first voice responded.

"I doubt that's the case here though, Kurogiri," Shigaraki replied with boredom filling his voice. "At least he made sure to bring out some seats for us," The sounds of benches shuffling as the other two sat down.

"What can I do for you both today?"

"We've come on orders from All For One,"

* * *

"All For One?!" Naomasa couldn't keep his shock in.

"What are you so shocked about?!" Seigo would've fell out of his chair if he wasn't attached to the table at the sudden exclamation from the detective in front of him. Naomasa refocused before looking at Seigo with a deadly serious look in his eyes.

"All For One was a villain that we believed to have died in a fight with All Might five years ago, the same day that you awoke. After midnight on April 4th." Naomasa couldn't believe it... but they never did have a body to confirm it. "Are you absolutely sure that what they said? They were there on orders from All For One?"

"I still have the recorder. I could give it to you if I wasn't cuffed,"

"You know we can't do that," Naomasa deadpanned, as Seigo dropped the seriousness of the situation to zero.

"Yeah, I know." Seigo said in mock disappointment.

* * *

"What does the master want with me?" Tai asked, choosing his words carefully.

"Well, we've hit a problem concerning one of his projects as it got loose last year. We've been looking for it ourselves and we were hoping if you've seen it," Kurogiri explained. "We've been working on a new breed of villain with multiple quirks called Nomu and one of the first successful ones escaped during All For One's battle with All Might."

'_It. They were calling me a thing?! I'm not even human to them?!'_ Seigo thought with anger. The tape continued regardless of his feelings though.

"Damn him… he went and ruined my birthday..." Shigaraki muttered angrily as the sound of scratching skin could be heard.

"We were wondering if you've seen it,"

"So he's trying _that_ again? Why are you asking now? That fight was last year like you said yet you wait this long to ask me? It wasn't even that far away from here."

"We wanted to keep this strictly in house as I'm sure you're aware of our master's methods but we weren't having any luck so we decided to try the old sources."

"Old huh. I guess it has been twenty years now," Tai said, his voice almost nostalgic at the thought. "Haven't seen the man himself since I gave up my quirk in exchange for my freedom to leave his organization,"

"You haven't told anyone anything, have you?" Shigaraki spoke up.

"I didn't even know where he was until he and All Might started slugging it out and left their mark on the ward. If you don't work for him, he doesn't say a thing to you so as far as I was concerned, I'm glad I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder when I go to the grocery store and have some hero bust my skull in,"

"Not like they could with that quirk you had. Targeted Warp, was it?" Seigo's heart nearly stopped. That's the same name as one of his! "Such a powerful quirk that was. The ability to warp to anywhere you've marked and then summon marked objects to your hand in an instant. No wonder he spoke so highly of your skills. You'll be happy to know that the Nomu we're looking for actually has that quirk now."

"Good to know? It's not like it's my problem anymore," Tai brushed it off. He knew. He _had_ to have known. No wonder he knew how to use it! "Though if this thing has my quirk and knows how to use it, finding him would be impossible. Besides which, you're going to have to give me more to work with here than "It's a thing,". What does this guy look like?"

"A small child, around 11 years old now, green hair, green eyes, freckled face. Ring any bells?" A slight pause and a humming noise could be heard from Tai like he was trying to think.

"Not recently no,"

"You gulped when he described it and even knew we were referring to a 'him'," Tomura spoke without raising his voice as he stood up, bench falling over, "You're lying, Saichirou,"

"So it would seem, Shigaraki," Kurogiri added, before the sounds of a struggle came through the recorder as well as a loud thud.

"Do you know what happens when I press all five fingers down on something? It decays into dust in seconds. So, tell me where the brat is or it's your funeral," Tomura's voice, despite about to murder his father, was calm like it didn't even matter. Like killing was no big deal. Like a real villain would.

"I'll tell you nothing. I sent him away before you even showed up. He's long gone by now and you will never have hi-"

Nothing. Seigo listened but could hear nothing. After a few seconds, Tomura spoke again.

"Stupid man. Wasted our time, gets me dragged from my game and now we have to go look for the brat, _again!_" Tomura suddenly shouted, switching moods at the drop of a hat.

"It_ was_ a waste but it was inevitable. Sensei wanted him dead anyway so no real loss. At least the intel we got from that teenager was correct. The nomu was here. We should search the building. He might have left some clue, somewhere,"

"Then you search it then. I'm done here. If the brat took off running, might as well look for it. Someone had to have seen him,"

"Very well, I met up with you after I'm done here,"

Seigo stopped the tape. He couldn't hear anymore. His heart couldn't bear it. Shigaraki, Kurogiri, All For One…

'_THEY KILLED HIM!'_

Seigo felt something surge through him before he passed out from the experience, falling from the chair to the hard floor below.

* * *

"You just passed out?" There were a lot of things Naomasa wanted to ask but he kept them to himself for now. He had names though. That's a good start.

"I think Body Burst may have gone out of control and just knocked me out. Or something. I don't really know. I just got so angry like something snapped and I woke up like five seconds later, on the floor."

"Has it happened since?"

"No and that's what's weird so I don't think it was a new quirk or something," Seigo answered, leaving Naomasa to ponder all that he learned. This is exactly what he was hoping to get out of him. Shigaraki and Kurogiri claimed to have been moving on orders from All For One but that doesn't guarantee anything. But when you're dealing with a man who can level city blocks by pointing at them, you don't write off the slim possibility that he might have survived.

Shigaraki's quirk was also nothing to sniff at. Turning what he touches to dust with just five fingers? He was someone to be wary of if he was properly trained though his attitude was less than promising. Man-child seemed too nice for him. And both just appeared out of nowhere? No door? Did that Kurogiri also have a warp quirk? Possibly.

Next, Tai Saichirou was Transporter. A man who would kidnap people with promising quirks for All For One. No one knew who he was until after he left twenty-four years ago and became an aikido instructor and then was killed on the orders of his former master. _'I'm going to have to look up what he was arrested for. If it was something to do with All For One, there was no way in hell he'd get off with only one year,'_

Finally, Seigo Saichirou, formally Izuku Midoriya, was kidnapped by All For One and turned into a Nomu, a sort of bioweapon using multiple quirks to wreak havoc on the world.

Tai Saichirou may have been scum for most of his life, but he died to save his son and give us this intel. If he sees him in the afterlife, Naomasa owes him a drink. Shigaraki and Kurogiri were careless but they'll take that win.

"Do you have what you want?" Seigo looked at Naomasa, eyes red from crying but now was much calmer. He seemed to be getting sleepy.

"I've got a lot to unpack here but if you're up for it, I'd like to keep going. Now that we've established your motives, that being finding Shigaraki, I would like to talk about everything you did as Noh. I don't want to risk anything, especially with who we're dealing with. Let's start with your… 'explosive debut,' if you could."

Seigo, for his part, nodded as he continued, though the grimace on his face didn't go unnoticed.

* * *

After waking up from his rage nap, Seigo went to Tai's room. The mask in question was kept hidden in his closet if he remembered correctly. Tai said it was something he made once for a play in middle school that he kept around. He reached into the closet and pulled out a small shoe box. Inside it was the white kitsune noh mask with the only color being the green around the eyes and whiskers.

'_Though, now I can think of what this was used for… "Transporter", huh?' _Seigo thought as he flipped the mask to the other side. Taped there was an address and an envelope containing a copy of his will. He put the address in his pocket for later. He'd worry about it later. Moving to the safe under his bed, 30 left, 36 right, 2 left. Opened with ease. Seigo saw the second address for the storage garage and the key for it, the money he left, but also, strangely enough, the records for his disciples. _'This might be useful,'_

With all that out of the way, Seigo changed into a black hoodie, pants and sneakers, usually reserved for when he wanted to sneak out into the night but now it was for something else.

'_Okay, so Kurogiri mentioned that it was a teenager that lead them to me, stating that they knew a person with multiple quirks lived here. None of the current disciples know that I have more than one quirk… but, because of my carelessness, there was one guy who did before he was thrown out.'_

Seigo flipped through the book until he found the teen he was looking for.

'_Kenji Taichisu. Reason for his expulsion: disrespectful attitude, lacking effort, using his quirk against another disciple in anger. His address is here. Time to pay him a visit.'_

* * *

"Wait… this was the _same day_?" _'Didn't take him long, did it? Not even a day to grieve?'_

"Yeah…" Seigo responded with a sheepish shrug, "Dad said not to cry so I had to press on. So, I've been meaning to ask but, how many jobs do you think I did?"

"We have you on file for 48 possible acts but with all the copycats in your wake, we could never be sure which were which," Naomasa explained, his voice betraying his annoyance for all the problems Noh has caused, "But if you ask me, I'd say it was somewhere below ten."

"You'd be right," Seigo confirmed with a tired smile. He needed sleep soon by the looks of it, "I was only was responsible for 7 jobs, that's all."

'_That's pretty low but within expectations."_

"You'll be telling me all about them, correct?"

"Sir, yes, sir," Seigo sarcastically quipped, trying to do a salute before remembering his hands were cuffed to the table, forcing him to bend down as low as he could get his head down for the salute.

* * *

After collecting all he needed from the house and heading for the storage garage to see what Seigo had to work with dealing with for the unpredictable future he had in store, he headed for Kenji Taichisu's address listed in the records. Just as it was in view, his target walked out of the house. Seigo quickly hid from sight, turning on Bio Scanner to keep track of his prey. Seigo looked at his watch, curious of the time.

It was now half past 8 p.m. and the sun was setting. _'Where is he going at this time of night?'_

Keeping an eye on Taichisu wasn't difficult but with the crowds being smaller compared to earlier in the day, he had less places to hide in plain sight.

'_I need to keep just far enough away that he won't notice me but he's still in range,' _

Seigo followed Kenji around for about an hour which sometimes lead them in circles like he was trying to shake a tail but strangely, Taichisu never seemed to actually look to see if he _was_ being tailed. Finally, just as the sun had set and it had even started to rain, Taichisu arrived at an abandoned looking warehouse next to the docks. Seigo knew this place as one of the places that Tai told him to avoid at all cost. Now that he was close enough for Bio Scanner to work, he could see why. He could see at least twenty different signatures in there, though he could only recognize Taichisu's for now. He needed a better vantage point.

'_Here's hoping they've got roof windows.'_ Seigo warped the kitsune mask onto his face before he picked up a pebble on the ground, marked it, and threw it up to the room, landing without making a lot of noise thanks to the rain. After warping his way up to the metal roof and trying his best to not make too much noise, he hit paydirt. He saw a skylight that would let him look inside the warehouse.

Seigo moved closer and looked down into the not-so-abandoned building. From what he could tell, it looked like a mad scientist's laboratory as he could see a bunch of street thugs all working on making… some kind of chemical. He could see Taichisu sitting in a chair with a few other teens he didn't recognize. He wouldn't be able to hear anything from here, not with all the noise they were making; he needed to get inside. Turning on Bio Scanner again, he could see that there was no one patrolling around, instead they were simply focusing on the product they were making as if nothing else mattered.

The only lights on were low to the ground, above the workstations so the above catwalks were completely dark. _'They probably don't want people to know what was going on in here. That's fine, I'll take that,' _He could use that if he could stay quiet. Next, his entrance. He could use one of the windows from the balcony if possible. _'The best thing to do would be to warp the glass out of the frame, sneak in, and then replace the glass again… maybe. They might notice a breeze if I'm too slow'_

Finally, he needed a plan B. _'If things get hairy, I'll need to kill the lights. There's no way I'll be able to take twenty guys in a fair fight. I can see in the dark. They can't.'_

With the plan in place, Seigo got to work. After successfully infiltrating directly above Taichisu and his "friends" without sounding an alarm, Seigo merged with the nearest shadow to remain undetected as he waited for… whatever they were waiting for. Ten minutes of heart pumping anxiety later, an older man in a freshly pressed suit and tie showed his face, causing the four teens to bow their heads in honor. Seigo could tell he meant business despite his smiling face.

Smiles shouldn't be as creepy as his.

"Gentleman, welcome back. I'm hope everything on your side went well, no?"

"We sold out on the product you gave us sir," Kenji spoke, as he lifted himself from his bow.

"Good! Good! I'm so glad to hear it!" the older man enthusiastically exclaimed as he patted the teens on the shoulders, "Now come into my office and we'll discuss plans for your future in our organization!" The five men walked to a room in the back, completely oblivious to the shadow following overhead. The catwalk led straight to the top of the room, with its own open window above it, allowing Seigo to listen in on their conversation. "Now I ask for you to leave the profits on the desk so we can count them in a bit," the boys did as he asked before he continued, "Now that the money has been taken care of, I'd like to show you boys something," the older man walked around the desk and opened one of the drawers, revealing a corked beaker of orange fluid.

"This is our new product that we'll be working with for the future. It's an improved version of the Trigger you've been selling. We're codenaming it 'T4'. It's just as powerful but much less likely to turn users crazy… and is _far_ more addictive," the older man's smile only seemed to widen at the prospect of turning people into drug-fueled cash machines. He set the beaker down on the table before walking back around the desk to the others. "Though you'll need to be more careful with it. It's also explosive near fire for some reason and we're working on fixing that but hey, the customers don't need to know that. Now the last thing I'd like to discuss with you boys is that the boss will be coming by soon and has agreed to meet with you. You all should be honored as you'll be official Yakuza by the end of the week,"

'_YAKUZA?!'_ Seigo had to stop himself from panicking. Tai had told him about the Yakuza: the former kings of organized crime in Japan but were weakened heavily by the existence of quirks. Now they're a shadow of their former self but that didn't make them any less dangerous. _'Stay calm. They haven't seen me and I still have an escape route with Targeted Warp. Just need to be careful about this,'_

Excuse me, sir but I have something you should know about," Seigo was snapped from his thoughts as it was Taichisu who started to speak. "I ran into some weirdo today,"

"A weirdo?"

"Yeah, his face was all jacked up, covered in wrinkles and scars and spoke like he had lung cancer or something. I couldn't even tell what old he was,"

'_So, he did run into Shigaraki. Good to know.'_

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to know where this green-haired kid I knew was. He was from that old dojo I used to go to and was the son of the master there. He then flashed me the creepiest smile I've ever seen and then pissed off towards the dojo."

"So, he asked you nothing about us?"

"No, but normally I would have told him to piss off but," Taichisu visibly struggled to find the words.

"He had an aura about him? Like he could and would kill you in broad daylight?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Taichisu exclaimed. "I kind of panicked just to get the guy away from me,"

"I know the kind well," the older man picked up the envelopes on the desk and put them all in a back wall safe. Hearing about Shigaraki must have unconsciously spooked him. "Though you gave him what he wanted, it had nothing to do with us, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Anyway, you boys follow me downstairs. We need to make sure you're ready when the boss comes," As everyone exited the room. Seigo sighed with relief.

'_I'm soooo lucky no one looked up,'_ Now that he could breathe normally again, he took stock of the situation. _"Okay, Taichisu had run into Shigaraki by chance and he led him to me and Dad. That's less than helpful. I'll need to find another way to track them down." _Seigo noticed a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. Above it seemed to be a circuit breaker controlling the power for the building _'Paper evidence is easier to get rid of quickly so they'd need to keep it physical. The cabinet's light enough so I can take it with me and it might have a lead I can use. I'll need to work fast though. While I'm here though... 'There_ was also the safe full of drug money that re-entered his vision. _While I could use the 100,000 yen for myself, I'm going to be giving Dad's sister the money from his safe anyway, but I can't stay there since they might expect me to do that and she'll die too. I'll need money of my own… I'm sure these guys wouldn't mind making a deposit to the International Bank of Seigo.'_

Plan in place, Seigo took the marked pebble and dropped it through the window, warping to catch it right before it hit the ground. He quickly and quietly warped the cabinet and the safe back to the storage garage. He took the beaker of Trigger as well in the heat of the moment. After cleaning the place out, Seigo warped back up to the roof of the room and took a look around at all the Trigger being produced.

'_Even if I call the police, they'll just run for it and probably get away… but if I contact the police and take them down before they get here, they won't be able to get away. I might be committing vigilantism but… I can't risk letting them slide. Though I won't be able to take them all on in a fair fight but then again…' _Seigo looked back to the circuit breaker in the room. _'Who said I needed to?'_

As the grunts below continued to work diligently making Trigger, the lights all around the warehouse cut out, confusing everyone in the building.

"What the hell's going on?!" one shouted, now blind.

"Looks like we lost power!" another replied.

pop* *ding* "Oof!" *crash* *pop* *ding* "Augh!" *crash* *pop*

"Da fu-ah!" *ding* *crash* *pop*

What the Yakuza couldn't see, was Seigo's Shadow Double, pebble in his left, metal baseball bat in his right, using a combination of Targeted Warp for movement, Body Burst for strength and speed, Full-Spectrum's thermal vision to see, and Bio-Scanner to locate, to utterly trash everyone as fast as possible. As for the real Seigo…

"Look, I know the Yakuza aren't considered a "big deal" anymore, but you're the police! Act like enforcing the law is slightly important!" He was at a payphone having trouble getting the police to respond to his call. "This is literally a Trigger factory. How is _that_ not "important?!"

"Look kid, we have a villain attack happening right outside our station. We're a little busy to deal with a child's problems. We'll send someone when we can spare a few officers. Good night."

"Wait-he hung up on me!" Seigo slammed the phone down, enraged at the nerve of that guy. Though he had to wonder why someone would be stupid enough to commit a crime next to a police station. It didn't matter now; he couldn't expect the police to make a hasty arrival… though he figure that did give him more time. Warping back to the warehouse, just in time to see his shadow finish with hogtying all the thugs with rope and chains he didn't remember having access to. Taichisu and the other boys weren't among them or in range of Bio-Scanner, so they must have been sent home.

"Hey, who's trashing our business?!" or went to get back up… they could have done that as well. Bio-Scanner alerted Seigo to another five guys rushing towards the building A wall was suddenly blown out and flashlight beams filled his vision after the dust settled. Before he could move away from the scene though, "There they are! Get them!" Seigo could see through thermal to see them without weapons but that didn't stop something bright and warm whizzing by his hood and crashing into the crates behind him. Just as soon as they started fighting, now they were running the hell away. Seigo looked behind him only to be blinded by the heat in thermal vision, forcing him to turn it off, allowing him to read the writing on the crate that did nothing to improve the situation.

'_Product: T4?! Explosive?!' _Seigo wasted no time in warping the all of the unconscious thugs out of there before making himself scarce… just in time for the boom.

The entire building went up in a thunderous explosion that nearly rocked Seigo off his feet from over 200 hundred meters away. He had to run out of the alley he warped himself into to see the cloud of dust, fire and debris rising over the surrounding buildings and into the rainy night sky. As he looked at the sight that snowballed from him attacking the Yakuza, only one thought went through his mind and he voiced it loud and clear:

"HOLY SHIT!"

* * *

Naomasa looked at Seigo's sleepy eyes. He could see it in them that he hadn't meant for things to turn out that bad but that hardly matters now.

"For what it's worth, we never found any corpses so we're mostly sure no one died," Naomasa explained, causing Seigo to relax a little. "With you warping everyone out of the building, you actually saved quite a few lives,"

"That's good to know," Seigo gave a weak smile to hear that he did manage to get everyone out.

"While the fact that the police refused to respond just cause of a villain attack that was being handled by heroes is concerning, it, by no means, excuses _any_ of the actions you performed," Naomasa scolded, "You have no right to use your quirk against criminals without permission from licensed professionals. But you know this since you wouldn't be here otherwise,"

"Yes sir," Seigo meekly responded.

'_His attitude and demeanor have changed dramatically. Recalling his near-death experience must have triggered something. Underneath all the bluster, might just be a scared child. He may even have a case of PTSD from it."_

"So. did the files give you anything?" Naomasa decided to shift focus on less problematic things for now.

"A few things: Turns out the reason they didn't send any cops was because the operator and several others were on the take." Seigo causally revealed.

'_Oh, joy. I was afraid he'd say something like that…'_ Naomasa thought as he took a deep inhale. Ota Ward's branch of the Tokyo Police, where the explosion took place, did have claims of corruption, but to hear it so casually made him sick that it was true. Naomasa motioned for Seigo to continue.

"Next, the recipe for the new T4 was there but you guys should have that now,"

_'Right, he sent that into the police two days after the incident. It was invaluable to developing a counter drug for the effects of Trigger but it's still dangerous to administer,'_

"Lastly it listed the boss of the operation as someone going by the name 'Overhaul'."

Naomasa walked out of the interrogation room, far more exhausted than he looked. He headed towards the observation room to find it a lot more crowded than he left it. Yagi and Tamakawa were still here but now a tall, lanky looking man in a white suit and glasses, a short elderly man in a yellow and white hero costume, a tired man wearing a black jumpsuit and a white scarf, and most surprisingly, a white animal in a suit.

"Well, if I knew we were going to have a party, I would have ordered takeout."

"Funny, I suggested the same," the lanky man said with an unreadable face though Naomasa could tell with his quirk that he actually thought his joke was funny.

"Tsukauchi, you remember Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino, yes?" Yagi asked, as he pointed to the lanky man and elderly man respectively.

"Yes, though I've only met Torino in person, it's nice to make your acquaintance, Nighteye. I wish it were under better circumstances," Naomasa lamented while extending his hand which Nighteye took without hesitation.

"Yes, well, when I heard about what you had arrested, I had to see it for myself."

"I wasn't expecting to see Eraserhead and Nezu here though," Gran Torino added, as he jumped down from his seat to the floor.

"I was the main hero on the case for the last few years as we thought Noh had some connection to the Trigger cases. Of course, I'd be here for this." Eraserhead grumbled tiredly. Clearly, he wasn't happy they'd gone for quite a few hours now.

"A boy with multiple quirks is fascinating to me but the fact that even All Might had trouble catching him made it impossible not to see this," Nezu, the weird bear-mouse-dog-thing, spoke joyfully, more hyped about this then anyone in the room.

"I feel like I heard a lot of things I shouldn't have, boss," Tamakawa didn't look so good, like he was struggling to process all the things he had just heard.

"Well, you know now so no point in worrying about it. Just keep the specifics to yourself," Naomasa replied with a smile that could only convey "sorry about this". Naomasa looked at the glass to see Seigo being taken back to his cell by the guards.

"So, what's the verdict?" Torino asked, stroking his beard with his gloved hand.

"There were no lies, not even about the number of quirks he thinks he has, but I could tell he was withholding certain pieces of info," Naomasa began after clearing his throat, "He's an experiment of All For One, that much we can be sure of but for what purpose, I can only speculate. There's also the matter of the battle between him and All Might, Endeavor and Eraserhead."

"You mean that strange quirk, right? He does have a power set perfect for infiltration and escape but that one doesn't fit," Eraserhead replied, "Maybe he was made for theft or espionage and they had this one thrown in?"

"All For One is too confident in his abilities to scare or force people to do his bidding. He's not the kind of guy to use a scalpel when he has a perfectly good sledgehammer on hand." Yagi answered, well versed in the subject of All For One. "As for espionage, he would have made a more… heroic-esqe power set rather than one that basically allows him to break into a building with nothing more than a rock. Most likely just to taunt me."

"There's also the fact that he was made _before_ the fight with him ever accorded," Nezu added, "He might have been trying to remake 'Transporter' or he may have been just a test subject."

"To see if he could make _more _of him?" Nighteye asked, to which Nezu nodded.

"The boy has a useful set of quirks with each one aiding the others, the last one notwithstanding, but otherwise doesn't really fit into All For One's methodology. There was also the number he mentioned on the bracelet. '1113' means he could either be the third one… or the 1113th."

"These 'nomus' are going to be a problem if this is true," Eraserhead complained as he rubbed his eyes in annoyance. Dealing with Noh was enough of a problem.

"We can worry about the nomu later," Torino suddenly interjected. "If what the boy said is true and this Shigaraki and Kurogiri are working for All For One, that means he's still alive. We need to find him and deal with him, quickly."

"The name 'Overhaul' came up as well," Nighteye added. "He became head of the Shie Hassaikai over 2 year ago and then lost most of his lieutenants when they were captured. Noh was involved then too."

"There's a lot to go through and a lot I'll need to talk with him about later," Naomasa remarked as he rubbed his forehead, "Right now, why don't we all call it a night. It's technically morning now and half of us don't look very good."

With everyone in agreement, the group left the observation room leaving Naomasa alone… with Yagi and Nezu remaining behind with Yagi looking particularly troubled, though considering the situation, Naomasa could hardly blame him.

"Something else on your mind, Toshi?"

"There was something that was bugging me at first but once I heard his name, I suddenly remembered why he looked familiar. The hair color is different from before so he may have dyed it back in April but he was there when I met Young Uraraka," Toshi explained, voice grave.

"He was at the Sludge Villain attack? _He _was the child with that warp quirk?" Nezu's never-failing smile suddenly faltered. Naomasa suddenly realized what he was trying to say.

"That kid knows about One For All."

* * *

**A/N: This has to be the longest chapter I've ever written and my brain hurts. So, you can probably tell a few things are going to happen but I ask that you stick with me here if only because I have an idea of where I'm going. Hopefully. Also, the cringe pun names will stop after Ch. 7, I promise.**

**As for updates, I'll try for a once a week to every other week basis but this is me so who knows. Anyway we'll be skipping a few of Seigo's (Izuku's) jobs to get to spicy bits but we'll get to them later. Or never if you guys don't care.**

**Review, Fav, Follow and all that good stuff and I'll see you guys next time,**

**Sal out!**


	4. Ch 4: Noh Place for a Hero

**Ch. 4: Noh Place for a Hero**

"Okay, in you go!"

Seigo felt a shove on his upper back as he was forced into his holding cell, quirk suppressing cuffs still around his wrists. Though, considering what he could do, they probably were more than a little scared if he still needed the cuffs, full time guards _and _cameras watching him.

'_I guess I'm not even allowed to use the toilet in private'_ Seigo thought as he looked around the small cell that was nothing more than a small bed with a thin sheet and pillow, a toilet, and a sink to wash his hands. The walls were a sterile white with no windows to the outside and only a solid steel cell door as his only means of leaving the room. _'I'm honestly curious what the plan is for me to shower while I'm here."_

With nothing really to do, Seigo dropped his pants enough to use the toilet before crash landing onto the bed. The very stiff, very lumpy, very uncomfortable cluster of cloth, stuffing, and metal they want to call a "bed". No blanket meant all he had was the sheet and the spare clothes he was given for warmth while he slept and a pillow that certainly belonged with this bed. In the trash._ 'I've slept on the ground, in trees, on rooftops, and even a bed inside a dumpster once but this… this is somehow worse than all of that. It must be how they break people into confessing to all their crimes… like I'm not already doing that?'_

Though even with the less than optimal conditions, Seigo could feel his body getting heavy with the exhaustion of the day finally taking hold of him.

* * *

It was already afternoon when Naomasa finally returned to the police office after his all-nighter with Noh. After speaking with a few officers that happened across his path, the detective came to his workplace for the next several hours: The interrogation room that was used the previous day but had one difference compared to then: Noh wasn't there yet.

"You're early," Naomasa looked to his left towards the observation room to see the emasicated form of Toshinori Yagi grinning at him.

"I could say the same to you. The interrogation isn't until five today, Toshi," Naomasa quipped as he walked over to his friend for a handshake that was accepted by Yagi.

"Well, I've had a busy day so I've haven't really anything better to do right now, so I figured I'd come early. Naomasa did a quick math check in his head and realized how strange that sounded. He just got up himself not two hours ago.

"Did you get any sleep?" Naomasa asked incredulously as they moved the conversation into the much more secure observation room and shutting the door behind them. It was still empty of everyone from the early morning but he knew it would change soon enough.

"Not really, though that's nothing really new. With the possibility of All For One being alive as well as what the kid knows, I'm finding it hard to not be worrying about what may be happening."

"Yes, but in regards to your secret, it's not like he's blabbed it all over the news. And even if he did, who was going to believe him over All Might, the Symbol of Peace and Number One Hero?" Naomasa pointed out, though from the grimace of Yagi's face, he wasn't feeling very assured. "As for All For One, Shigaraki and Kurogiri might just be using the threat of his existence to scare people to work for them. We can't even be sure he's really alive yet."

"And that's what worries me," Yagi responded, "It's not that he is or isn't alive that's the problem. It's that we can't confirm which is the truth. If he's dead, good riddance. If he's alive, we need to find him and stop him before he causes more problems." Naomasa is about to respond but a door opening behind them silences him.

"With the condition you're in, can you say you're even in any shape to go another round with him?" Another voice asks, belonging to the ever stoned-faced Sir Nighteye, glare looking particularly frosty today. At his side was the groggy face of Gran Torino who looked like he was just pulled from his bed. He didn't even bother with the costume today, just coming in a button up, some pants and loafers. He stifled a yawn before taking a seat near the front of the room.

All Might didn't respond, just looking at Nighteye as the two had an impromptu staring contest. From what Naomasa heard, they didn't talk to each other at all last night during the entire interrogation and even with his limited knowledge as to why, he could tell that neither was exactly pleased with the situation for their own reasons.

"You two going to just stand there and stare lovingly into each other's eyes or are we going to discuss the elephant in the room that we didn't get to last night?!" Gran Torino finally broke the tension in the room with the delicacy of a runaway semi-truck full of flaming gasoline as he shouted at the two heroes. "I get that you two have your own issues with each other but deal with it and move on or stop wasting time with it and focus!"

Naomasa thought he heard a slight exhale of air from Nighteye like he was about to start chuckling but it swiftly passed. "You're right. The situation is bigger than us." Nighteye took a seat next to Gran Torino before he continued. "If nothing else, we need to confirm if the villains who attacked Tai Saichirou were really on orders for All For One. We should start by determining if this is true and All For One still lives. The boy may know more though I'm doubtful he does in this regard.

"There's also another problem we need to address." Yagi added, "Your quirk only works if the person knows what they're saying is a lie. The boy may have said that he remembers the recording but if he's misremembering this, we wouldn't be able to know."

"Well, about that," Naomasa began, "After the interrogation, we managed to get a search warrant for the storage facility that Noh was using through Tai's sister, Yuko Saichirou."

"You have the recording, then?" Gran Torino caught on.

"The recording as well as all the files that Noh hadn't already delivered to the police in the past from his heists. He even had a computer and a flash drive whose contents we're trying to dig up. Turns out he was spot on with the contents of the message but there are several things that worry me, such as the contents of the files we found on the flash drive. I've got Officer Tamakawa preparing copies of the report for you all though it'll be far from comprehensive. Even what I got was only the most important bits."

"It would probably be best to wait for the report then," Another voice reasoned, causing everyone to look towards the door to see the smiling face of Principal Nezu and the grumpier face of Eraserhead. Nezu took a seat on the other side of Gran Torino as he spoke, "After all, it would be better to have this discussion once everyone is up to date with the facts."

"I'm surprised to see you came back for more, Eraser. I would have thought you'd prefer sleeping at this time of day," Yagi commented, only to receive a glare from the sleep-deprived hero.

"After everything I learned yesterday that I was, understandably, kept in the dark about, I'm not really all that interested in being shut out of the loop again. Not after hearing what my boss is planning anyway."

"What are you planning, sir?" Yagi asked, now concerned. Nezu may have been the smartest guy in the room every minute of every day but that didn't mean that he didn't have wild and crazy ideas that left others… slightly terrified about. It was only the fact they _worked_ that inspired any confidence in them.

"We'll see if I'm even able to implement it. I won't know until later today though as I'm waiting for a call. When I'm given the go-ahead, you'll be one of the first to know! You aren't officially part of the staff yet." the principal said with a wide smile. Naomasa, however, thought of something he didn't want to think was true.

"Don't tell me-"

"Oh, would you look at that, it's almost time for the show to start!" Nezu, quickly changed the subject, causing Naomasa to look at his watch and see it was almost five. Noh was currently in the process of being seated in the room, just in time.

"Best drop it for now," Eraser advised from his seat next to Nezu, "You've got your own problems to deal with. Just let me worry about Principal Nezu here."

Naomasa nodded as he put the thought away for now. It was an unlikely idea anyway. As he walked out the door towards the interrogation room, Tamakawa was racing down the hall with papers in hand.

"Here's what we've been able to gather from the files in the storage facility, Detective. We've also found that the flash drive had more info about the Shie Hassaikai, not just the girl. I'm sorry but we'll need more time before we can have a more in-depth summary of the evidence."

"Good work, Tamakawa," Naomasa praised as he took a copy of the three-page report. "Make sure the gentlemen in there all get copies. They'll need to be kept up to date with this case."

"There's also the matter of this," Tamakawa pulled out from the stack of papers a green journal, one that read, "Quirk Analysis". "We believe he was studying the quirks of heroes and villains alike to have some sort of tactical edge against his opponents. The notes are also incredibly detailed with some frankly frightening levels of accuracy in some cases."

'_He was studying quirks? This doesn't look good.'_

"I'll have to give it a read later but thank you for the intel, officer," Naomasa put the journal in his coat pocket. Best to keep it out of sight for now.

"Sir," Tamakawa saluted before walking into the observation room, leaving Naomasa to finally enter the interrogation room. Noh looked… more rested but that wasn't saying a whole lot.

"I wasn't aware that torture was still legal in this country…" Seigo spoke with a groggy mumble, like he didn't actually get any sleep.

"It's not," Naomasa replied as sat down and started to skim the report. Mostly things he knew already. More for the other's benefit than his really.

"Then what was that torture device you made me sleep on?" Seigo countered as his sleepy grin had that air of cockiness from yesterday.

"It called a bed," Naomasa deadpanned as he set the report off to one side of the table.

"I've slept in beds that people have thrown away. Is that where you get yours?"

"I'm not sure. Never asked," Naomasa then shifted in his chair to lean forward towards Seigo. "We've received a warrant to search the storage garage that Tai Saichirou was using that's now owned by his sister. I've got good news and bad news for you: Bad news is that we've already been through the contents of the filing cabinet, the flash drive, and are in the process of extracting the files from the computer you kept in there so we know mostly everything about what you've learned through your escapades. Good news is that we can confirm that you've been honest with us with solid evidence instead of with my quirk alone so we feel comfortable that you'll continue cooperating."

'Speaking of cooperating, what exactly am I getting out of it? You weren't very clear on that," Naomasa paused for a little at the question, reluctant to say too much as even he wasn't sure what the Chief had planned for him as well as whatever Nezu was doing.

"We're currently pushing for a lighter sentence to your crimes since you've been working with us. We don't know yet what exactly you'll get as it's still being worked out but depending on how much you're willing to help then we might be able to reduce it to just probation at worst. Though we'll have to wait and see on that front."

Seigo nodded, understanding the terms. "So, if you already know everything, what exactly do you need to ask me?"

"There was something on a flash drive that caused no small amount of concern when it was found," Naomasa grabbed the report before flipping to the last page and showing it to Seigo as he pointed to the specific line.

"A girl named Eri. Quirk: Rewind. Allows her to rewind living people back to a previous state. Could de-age a person or reverse evolution itself. Not only that," Naomasa pulled the journal out of his coat pocket and set it down, startling Seigo as he recognized it immediately. "We've also found these journals hidden between your mattresses. This one contains very detailed records of quirks used by heroes and villains. Does Eri have a page?" Seigo visibly hesitated before finally relenting.

"Page 108," Seigo nervously spoke.

'_There's something fishy about this journal. Why is he nervous though?'_

Naomasa quickly flipped through the journal to page 108 and found Eri's page. Though he wasn't exactly ready for the first two words at the top of the page.

"Eri Saichirou?"

"I can explain," Seigo was staring at the table in front of him, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, I bet you can. The question is, do we have to add kidnapping charges as well?"

"She was being cut up and experimented on!" Seigo fired back angrily, catching Naomasa off guard. Though the shouting was surprising, it wasn't the most surprising thing that he saw. For a brief second… was Seigo's eyes _red_? "That's not even getting into the worst thing Overhaul did to her!"

"Why don't we just hear the full story. From the files, we gather that you eventually pieced together where the Shie Hassaikai were but something I didn't ask was why you were only targeting _them_. I thought you were looking for Shigaraki."

"I was but information isn't cheap, _especially_ when All For One is the target of discussion. Drug dealers just happened to have the money I needed to get anything."

"So, you used the money you stole from the Shie Hassaikai and spent it on information brokers?" Naomasa confirmed as Seigo nodded. "So, you were hoping to hit the motherlode at their base of operations but ended up with something else entirely. Tell me everything."

Seigo nodded as he began recalling all the events of that day.

"I was thirteen at the time,"

* * *

It was an early dawn spring morning for Tokyo as the early birds were waking up to start their day. One such early bird, decked in his full black Noh outfit with his mask off was walking down the street, passing uncaring civilians as he walked.

_"And now for your early morning report,"_ Izuku turned to see a television playing at the sidewalk cafe he was passing. _"Last night saw the arrest of three men suspected of committing a robbery of a-"_

"Ugh, more villain activity," Izuku turned to see a couple enjoying a morning coffee, with the man looking annoyed, "What's with people these days? Why is all the scum in the world suddenly thinking they can just do whatever they want?"

"I know right?" The woman responded, "I wish the criminals would just crawl in a hole and leave the rest of us alone."

"Let's just hope they didn't have any bastard spawn. Can't have them making more criminals to make the world worse."

"Here, here."

_"Scum, huh? Yeah, I guess all criminals are_," Seigo thought to himself before resuming on his path. Even if his goal is noble, his method was illegal. He walked into a nearby alley and looked around. _"Nobody around. Good."_ Seigo pulled out a rock and launched it as high as he could before warping to it. Before gravity could pull him down, he threw it again, repeating the process till he was on the roof of the tallest building around. Seigo warped a pair of binoculars. He walked over to the ledge facing the street and peered through them towards his target.

A mansion by Tokyo standards that seemed as quiet as the buildings around it but he knew differently. This is where the dealers he's been after for the last two years were hiding. According to the info gathered by a very nosy worker he targeted last time, this is where the Shie Hassaikai had their headquarters. Now that he knew where to go, he now had a new problem:

How the hell does he get inside?

Even though it looked harmless and was still pretty dark out, Seigo could see movement outside. Lots of movement. He would need a way to get around all of it. But how the hell would he do that? Too many eyes roaming around and if the last job was any indication, they were not the same idiots he'd been running circles around for over a year and a half. They were serious and they were pissed with him and wanted him dead. He'd been scoping this place out for almost three weeks and still had no clue how to get in. But this is the score he needed. The Shie Hassaikai needed money for something so that meant they had money to spare.

As Seigo pondered how to get in, he saw one member leaving the premises walking down the street towards where Seigo was standing, forcing him to duck down less he be seen by him looking up for a second. Seigo looked through the binoculars to get a clear look at the guy's face. He looked equal parts distressed and annoyed and seemed to be ranting to himself if him running his mouth was any indication. He was dressed like one of the other Yakuza in the hideout with a white suit and red undershirt and expensive looking shoes.

'_An errand boy? This might be important. Better see what he's up to. He might even be my ticket in.'_

Deciding on the best course of action, Seigo warped off his costume and in the next instant, warped on some street clothes that made him look like a regular hoodlum that no one would pay any attention to. He then looked to the nearby alley next to the building and saw no one who would see him warp down there so he quickly dropped a rock and waited for it to fall, never keeping an eye off his target for more than a second. He quickly warped down and turned on Bio Scanner as he followed his prey from a sizable distance, never too close that he couldn't take a turn or quickly look at something else. Though like many a person, the Yakuza man never once seemed to notice he was being followed as he entered…

'_A 24-hour department store? What the hell is he buying?'_

As Seigo followed him into the store, he was quickly led to where the man was. "Kawaii Hawaii" was the name of the store and Seigo took one look around and felt like he was in the wrong place. Girls toys, dolls, play sets, stuffed animals and anything that was ever cute was surrounding him in the brightest colored store in the world. He quickly shook of the embarrassment of being in such an establishment as he remembered why he was there. He looked towards the counter to see the Yakuza talking to the clerk. Seigo needed to blend in and walked down one of the aisles and started "pursuing" the selections as he listened in.

"Super Princess Ranger Force toys are in aisle three, sir," the clerk spoke with a jovial and friendly voice as she helped the Yakuza man. Seigo looked down to see the shelf marked 3-4.

'_Aisle 3, section 4. Oh no, that's going to send him my way!'_

"Hmm? Ya say something, mumbles?" The Yakuza was now standing over Seigo, causing to nearly jump out of his shoes.

"EEP!" _'Did I just say that out loud?!_ "Nothing, nothing! Don't mind me! I'm just trying to find something for my little sister's birthday tomorrow!" Seigo quickly lied to save face, hoping the Yakuza didn't pick out anything specific.

"Whatever, just move so I can grab that toy and leave." Seigo quickly took a step back to allow the man to grab a massive looking doll off the shelf but then noticed that he was now standing in the man's shadow. So, the second no one was looking, Seigo slipped into the man's shadow.

'_The perfect way in!'_

"Ya got lucky… kid…?" The man looked around, complete baffled as to how the kid he was talking to had disappeared when he looked away. "The hell?"

"Is something wrong, sir?" The clerk from earlier walked up, seeing the man's confusion.

"Wasn't there a kid here a second ago?"

"I thought I saw someone but…" She looked around, just as confused. "I don't know where they went," The two looked around for a few tense seconds before the Yakuza shrugged.

"Must've scared him and he bolted. Whatever, I got what I came for," The Yakuza man and the clerk walked to the register and checked out the doll.

'_Sucker!'_ Seigo thought as he wished he could laugh while in this guy's shadow but all he could do was hold on for the ride at this point.

The Yakuza man and his still unnoticed passenger walked back towards the compound through the early morning streets, walking up to press the doorbell.

"Who's there?" a deep voice came through the speaker.

"It me, ya dipshit. Open up!"

"Password?"

"How bout 'kiss my ass', is that the password?"

"Who pissed in your cereal this morning?!"

"You're not the one being sent to buy little girl's toys under orders from the new boss at seven in the freakin' mornin', now are ya?!"

"Fine, fine, no need to be a dick about it!"

"Well, if you opened the friggin door, this wouldn't be a conversation we'd be havin'."

'_These two are great together.'_

The gate finally opened at Seigo could finally get a good look around. Even this early in the morning, the Yakuza base was swarming with members who all looked tough but didn't seem too threatening on their own. No, it was just that there was a small army of them that was the problem.

'_At least I can make a quick exit with ease.'_

The man he was currently following walked inside the mansion, revealing it's more traditional appearance, like Seigo had stepped about four hundred years into the past. The man continued to walk until he stopped at a small opening in the wall that had nothing but a flower vase sitting on it. He moved the vase and started pushing down the wooden boards in sequence, causing the wall to shift and reveal a secret passageway leading underground.

'_Really? Just how big is this place?'_ Seigo could only watch in awe as he was pulled down the passageway by his unaware carrier. The passageway seemed to branch off into multiple directions, almost like a maze where they only way to get anywhere would be to already know where you're going. Thankfully, his driver seemed to at least have that much going for him as he didn't hesitate to make specific turns down the incredibly clean passageway. Seigo's view wasn't the best from the floor but he could still see that whoever was cleaning this place made sure to clean the ceiling. Eventually, they arrived at a white door, as clean and sterile as the surrounding area. The Yakuza looked around nervously as if he was waiting for something to happen before he knocked on the door.

"Hey, Eri! I'm here with a gift from your dad!" The Yakuza spoke into the door with the closest he was going to get to a gentle voice. Though there was no response from the other side, the man opened the door after five seconds and Seigo had to suppress the need to hurl.

The room reeked of cleaner and bleach as it was clear that this place was kept just as clean as the rest of the complex, if not, more so. The room had only a bed, a nightstand, and a nightlight in the whole room with only one overhead light to illuminate the room. But that was only the kicker. Sitting on a bed with the world's most vacant stare was a red-eyed little girl with long, gray hair, a small horn growing out of head and bandages running across all four of her limbs. She wore a white hospital gown that looked like it could use being replaced. She couldn't be older than five from what Seigo could tell. With the light forcing the man's shadow behind him, Seigo quickly exited the shadow, quietly took a step back and entered the shadow of the door before anyone saw he was there.

"Here's the doll I was asked to pick up for you. We hope you like it," The man said as he set the doll down on the nightstand before quickly leaving the room, leaving an emerging Seigo alone with "Eri". He exited the shadow and warped his mask on quickly as he was now in enemy territory and couldn't afford someone seeing his face and pulled the hood of his street hoodie to cover his hair. As the door closed, the girl finally noticed him and reacted with quiet shock, forcing Seigo to quickly put a finger up to his mouth to tell her to remain quiet. He quietly walked up to her and knelt down at the side of her bed as she looked about ready to bolt.

"Don't be scared. Everything will be okay," Seigo quietly reassured the girl, who just looked at him with fear in her eyes.

"You can't be here. If he finds you, he'll kill you," her voice was terrified though now at least Seigo could tell she was afraid _for_ him rather than _because of_ him.

"Who, Overhaul?" she nodded quickly but froze up when Seigo touched her bandaged arm. "What happened to you?"

"Daddy has to take my blood so that he can clean the world."

"Clean the world?" Seigo could feel his eyebrow shoot up at the odd choice of words.

"Though when he takes too much, he has to take me apart and put me back together again."

"..." Seigo could feel his rage building from hearing this and he was glad that his face was covered so that Eri couldn't see him. Overhaul was doing _what?! TO HIS OWN DAUGHTER NO LESS!?_ Seigo took a deep breath before he kicked the door down and started trying to tear the place apart.

Bio Scanner was going off now as he could sense a threat moving his way… though to be fair, everyone but the girl was a threat.

"Sorry about this, but I need you to stay where I send you and _don't move._ I'll be there soon," She looked at him with a confused look on her face before she was warped away towards a hideout he'd been using for this job. Abandoned warehouses seemed to be plentiful these days. After that, Seigo quickly made a shadow double of himself. "Take care of her till I get back," He ordered, as the shadow warped away and he swiftly moved to return to the door's shadow just in time for the door to open.

"Eri, it's time for-" a voice came through but it stopped and was replaced by a man quickly running into the room. He wore a green coat with a purple fluff collar with a suit and tie underneath. What stuck out most was the plague doctor's mask attached to his face and his gloved hands.

"Overhaul sir, is something wrong-"

"Where's Eri?" He said with a coldness that might as well have frozen the room. Seigo could see him pulling a glove off. The Yakuza grunt from earlier walked in and looked around.

'She was right here a mom-" He didn't finish his sentence as he was reduced to a spray of blood and gore instantly. Seigo nearly fell out of the shadow in shock but was able to keep it together and not blow his cover. However, just as fast as he'd been reduced to mist, the man was put back together just as quickly, leaving him looking as he did before his top half exploded.

"Was that necessary?!" a voice from the hallway cried out, clearly exasperated with the turn of events. "Couldn't it have waited till we got Eri back first?!"

"Get Bloodhound ready. We need to find where she went," Overhaul stated calmly, clearly not paying any attention to the now traumatized look of the grunt he just destroyed and reassembled in an instant. "Chronostasis, you're in charge. I need the lab ready for Eri when I return,"

"Right," as Overhaul left the room, another man in a white hooded robe and another doctor's mask entered the room and took a look around the room, looking for something. "Maybe we should have invested in cameras. Would have fixed the problem before it became one,"

Seigo saw his opportunity, with the man's back to him and the grunt shambling out of the room, he quickly slipped into his shadow without being seen.

"Hmm?!" Chronostasis looked behind him quickly only to see nothing but an empty corner of the room. "Could've swore I sensed something…" Chronostasis became cautious, almost paranoid before walking out of the near empty room. Seigo could finally take stock of what happened now that he was being taken to "the lab".

'_Eri said that if Overhaul would take too much blood, he'd have to take her apart and put her back together,' _the image of Overhaul reducing his subordinate to the consistency of chunky salsa before putting him back together in the next instant ran through his mind. _'So that's what she meant. He would literally take her apart and put her back together… THAT MONSTER!'_

Seigo knew he had to find out why. Why does he need to do this to Eri? On arrival in the lab, Seigo could tell it was just him and Chronostasis now, he waited until the Yakuza logged into the computer. Once he did, he popped out of the shadow, summoned a wooden bat, and cracked it across Chrono's head, knocking him out. He quickly searched him for a cellphone and found it in his back pocket under the robe. He then moved to bind his hands with some chains he warped to his hand from his base. Seigo than warped a calling card, a pen and some tape.

'_Big fight with the Shie Hassaikai going down today at 4313 Kairi St. in the next half hour bring all the heroes you can before they get away. Their boss Overhaul can deconstruct and reconstruct anything he touches with his bare hands.' _He then taped the card to the unconscious Chrono before he warped him away to the nearest police station front steps.

"There, that should provide some backup. Let's hope they're not corrupt too," Seigo sighed as he locked the door and began to search around. If they could track Eri, he didn't have time to waste. He turned his attention to the computer and quickly scanned through the files. He warped a flash drive to his hand and quickly copied all the files on it to the flash drive. He then noticed one that stuck out.

'_Expendables?'_ He opened the file to see five more files inside, all but the last listed with a name.

Shin Nemoto, Rikiya Katsukame, Kendo Rappa, Hekiji Tengai and the last file simply named "Recruitment". _'Why do these guys have their own files? And why does Overhaul need them for? He's calling them "Expendables" so they're only purpose would be to…'_ He quickly opened Namoto's file to see what was in it. It listed a brief history, Overhaul's opinion on his loyalty as well as his quirk. Confession: If he asks someone a question, they are physically forced to admit the truth. _'That could be bad… __if __he asks my name or about my quirks, I could be in deep trouble but there must be a way around it. No quirk is flawless,"_ He quickly looked through the quirks of others. Katsukame: Vitality Stealing: Can inhale the life force of whoever he touches with his hands and grow stronger. _'Can't let him touch me huh,"_ Rappa: Strongarm: Can move his shoulders at extreme speeds. _'With enough speed, he could probably punch straight through a person. Have to be careful with him.'_ Tengai: Barrier: Can create a nearly-indestructible barrier around anything within fifty meters of him. _'If I can warp inside the barrier, I can remove him easily. Glad to see me and this asshole have a common hobby of analyzing quirks. Nothing on "Bloodhound" though... must not be "expendable". The recruitment file must be people he's yet to recruit so I can check it out later. Now… where's Eri's file?'_

He found it under a file named: "Project: Evolution".

_Subject: Eri_

_Quirk: Rewind. Can rewind living people back to previous states. Her blood and cells produce the same effect._

_Can rewind humans on an evolutionary scale to before quirks, making the affected quirkless._

Seigo had to reread the line five times as he took in what Overhaul was planning. He was planning to use Eri's blood to turn people quirkless. He could feel his anger building but he swallowed it and kept reading.

_By forging her blood into bullets, we can sell the quirk destroying bullets to villains and sell an antidote serum to the heroes. Since Eri's the source, they'll have no choice but to capitulate to our will and the Yakuza will be free to rise again._

'_Like hell you will! I won't let you hurt her for your own selfish desires of a world where you alone hold all the power!'_

Seigo didn't have another flash drive to send to the police but that wasn't going to stop him. He was about to send the whole computer before he stopped himself.

'_What if they wanted to use her too? Overhaul's way of quirk bullets might not be limited to only him. With the ability to destroy quirks… villains would quickly become a non-issue…'_ Seigo stared at the computer for a good minute before deciding against sending the computer. Even if he destroyed Eri's file, he wouldn't be able to complete destroy it. They'd be able to find it again. Instead, he warped the computer back to his storage hideout. It'd be safer there.

Seigo decided he'd found all he'd need and quickly warped away to where he'd sent Eri.

* * *

Naomasa listened on to Seigo's story as he took a drink of water and set it down. "So that's why we didn't receive any info on Eri? Because you were afraid that we would use Eri to make quirk destroying bullets like Overhaul to wipe out villain's quirks?"

"No matter what you say, you are not everyone," Seigo began, fire in his eyes as he spoke with a calm passion, "You are not in charge. You are not able to decide what happens to her if she was taken in by the police. Can you say, with full confidence, that there isn't anyone in the entire government that wouldn't kill for that level of security? That they wouldn't kill for the ability to render villains quirkless with nothing more than a shot in the arm?"

Naomasa knew Seigo was right. There would always be those who were so fearful for their own safety that they'd take _any_ absolutes. Any solution was on the table if it worked as well as this one. A world where villains live in fear, not just of heroes but of the police as well is a world that the government would salivate over. It could even allow them to prevent another All For One from ever rising. All it would cost would be one little girl's freedom which the government would surely not care about.

And then there was Overhaul's actions. Killing and reviving the girl over and over again for her blood. "Monster" might have been too kind a word to describe him.

"I'll concede your point there but that doesn't change the fact that we basically had to walk into a bad situation with little intel,"

"There wouldn't be enough time for you to go through it all anyway. You've had half a day already and you guys still going through my stuff. You had less than half an hour that day before the fight started." Another fair point. The boy knew how to make his points, that much was certain.

"Do you trust heroes?" Seigo seemed caught off guard by the question, but he quickly answered it with a smile that seemed both sad and happy.

"When it comes to just protecting Eri and I, I do trust heroes. Everyone might have their own reasons but if nothing else, they're here to help," his smile quickly faded, "I was even hoping once I got old enough. I could leave Noh behind and join a hero school myself though I guess I got so blinded by what I was doing that I didn't notice I was shooting myself in the foot. It's just when it comes to Eri and her quirk that I start having problems with others. Her quirk is too strong and can be misused by others, not just Eri. If her blood didn't carry the same power as the rest of her, we wouldn't be having this conversation and I'd have handed her over without issue."

"To join most hero schools with your current living conditions of homeless, no guardian, and no legal means of supporting yourself as well as no records of education, it would have been nearly impossible without someone sponsoring you as a recommended student."

'..." Seigo didn't say anything to that. He knew it was impossible but still wanted to go for it anyway.

"Why did you want to be a hero?"

"I always got this feeling watching heroes at work. Of being in awe of them and wanting to help people whenever I could. I wanted to be a hero like All Might, someone who could face danger with a smile and save everyone. I could never explain where it was coming from though or why I felt that way…" Seigo spoke, a sad tone taking over his words. Naomasa's quirk hadn't gone off once yet so he could tell the boy in front of him genuinely wanted to be a hero.

'_Just like the file on Izuku Midoriya suggested. The boy's mother had stated his love of heroes, All Might most of all, when she was filing a missing person report. It would seem those feelings still existed even if the memories are gone. I wonder If Nezu is smiling right now,'_ He quickly put the thought away and refocused on the matter at hand. Nothing he could do about it right now.

"I think we may have gotten a bit off-topic. Let's discuss the confrontation between you and Overhaul," Naomasa looked at his watch to see it was a quarter to six.

Seigo nodded before continuing.

* * *

**A/N Yeah this seems like a good spot to stop. I originally wasn't intending to leave off here but 6000 words is a lot and we still have a lot more to cover in the next chapter and I need a break. **

**So yeah, if it's not obvious, we're taking a few… wide steps away from canon as I have Izuku (Seigo) be a spanner in all the works.**

**Next time, all-out three-way brawl. Look forward to it!**

**With that said, I leave this with you all. Review, Fav, Follow and all that good stuff and I'll see you next time.**

**Sal Out!**


	5. Ch 5: Noh Holding Back

**Ch. 5: Noh Holding Back**

With a quiet pop, Seigo warped into the abandoned warehouse he took Eri to, which scared the little girl as she did exactly what he said and didn't move so naturally she was less than a meter away from him. Seigo himself nearly jumped at the sound of Eri's cry of fear before switching on Full Spectrum to see in the dark warehouse. His heart sank as he saw the look of pure fear in her eyes as she stared at him like he was here to kill her with a knife. Seigo then quickly remembered how Tai would handle a scared child.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Calm down," He quickly said in a gentle voice before taking a few steps back and lowering himself to one knee to seem less threatening, "I'm not going to hurt you." Seigo held his hand out to Eri whose eyes looked at it with the same fear as before as she took a few steps back only to bump into an open crate of packing peanuts. Seigo dropped his hand with a sigh as he realized that this wasn't going anywhere _'She wasn't afraid of me before but she _was _afraid that Overhaul was going to kill me… she must be worried about getting attracted to me or something... or she doesn't want to see me die. Considering how quick to kill Overhaul was before, how many people has she seen be killed by him?'_ Seigo went to put his hand on his chin to think but realized he still had his mask on. _'This thing probably isn't helping matters,'_ Eri watched as Seigo removed the mask and pulled his hood down so Eri could see his face. Seigo gave a warm smile before holding his hand out again. "I won't let Overhaul hurt you anymore and I won't let him kill me either. I am here to help you so please let me."

Eri let out a small gasp before letting the words sink in. Seigo could see the tears start to form in her eyes as the only warning before she ran up and latched onto him, small hands digging into his hoodie for dear life. Seigo chuckled softly as he slowly rubbed her back to comfort her. Tai used to do that for him whenever he was upset. "There, there, it's going to be alright-"

Bio Scanner would always flip on automatically at the sign of a significant threat and it did so again as Seigo recognized that Overhaul was nearby. He quickly tagged the back of Eri's neck and picked her up to carry her in his arms, causing her to let out a quiet "eep", and ran towards the wall closest to where Overhaul was, noticing that he and his group of cronies were just standing out there. _'Must be giving orders to his subordinates. That means I need to be fast about this. Let's see: Seven signatures in total. That has to be Overhaul, the four expendables, and this "Bloodhound" but who's the last one? Bloodhound has to be how they found Eri so he has to go before I can move her away. After that, I know exactly what I need to do,'_ Seigo ran to the crate from earlier, still holding a confused Eri as she wondered what was going on.

"Eri, I'm sorry to leave you alone again but I need to take care of something. I need you to stay in this crate and not make a single noise, no matter what. Do you understand?" Seigo quickly ordered as he tried to lift Eri into the open crate but she just gripped him tighter.

"Please… don't go…" The fear and pain in her voice nearly broke Seigo's heart but he knew he didn't have time for this. He quickly tagged the inside of the crate and warped Eri into it, causing her to fall into the crate of packing peanuts.

"Don't worry, I only need to take care of one thing and then we'll be out of here and safe from Overhaul," Seigo said with a confident smile before pointing to himself and reciting a quote he heard on TV from the Number One Hero, "They won't hurt you anymore now that I am here!" Seigo quickly put the lid on the crate before putting his hood and mask back on and hiding himself behind some crates near the door. The group started to fan out, surrounding the building in different ways, with Overhaul and one other walking towards the door. Except for one. One guy was hanging back as if bringing him inside was a risk.

'_That could either be Bloodhound or Nemoto. If I don't get rid of Bloodhound before anyone else, Eri will be in constant danger and we won't be able to get away from Overhaul forever. Whoever it is, they're near one of my markers that I placed when I found this place as a good base… time to start the show!'_

As soon as the door opened and Seigo could see Overhaul and a man in black cloak, bowler hat and plague mask, he warped out to behind whoever was outside, though it didn't take a genius to realize it was Bloodhound after one look at the guy. Dressed like a typical Yakuza but he had the head and hands (or rather paws) of a bloodhound. Seigo quickly jumped forward and warped the two of them out of the way, making sure to mark Bloodhound beforehand.

Now in the middle of a forest outside of Tokyo, a now panicking Bloodhound started to look around to see nothing but trees. He quickly sniffed the area, now picking up Seigo's scent. He quickly assumed a fighting stance before shouting into nothing,

"Who are you?! Where did you take me?!" Seigo couldn't resist what he was about to say as he was hiding behind a tree with his trusty bat.

"It doesn't matter. I've already marked you for death," Before Bloodhound could react, Seigo quickly warped repeatedly around Bloodhound, striking him with the bat with each warp. Pop, ding, pop, ding, pop, ding, in sequence so fast that the fight was only about two seconds but Bloodhound looked like he'd just been savagely attacked by a group of bat-wielding thugs. The now barely conscious Bloodhound looked at the masked face of Seigo.

"I made sure to avoid vital areas so you won't be dying today. When you get to jail, tell them 'Noh' sent you. Oh, and apologize on my behalf for everything today." With that, the Yakuza passed out and Seigo quickly tied his paws together before warping him to the police station. He then warped back to his warehouse hiding space to see Overhaul holding the terrified Eri...

"Eri, you will tell me how you managed to get out. You know what happens when you make me have to go into filthy places like thi-" before he could finish his threat, Seigo warped Eri to his hand before warping her away to the storage facility. With Bloodhound gone, he'd pretty much already won but there was still something else he had to do. Overhaul turned around to look at Seigo but couldn't get a good look because a smoke bomb had been set off next to him, filling his vision with smoke. "Shin, find who's doing this!"

"Ye-Oaugh!" Nemoto was stopped by an elbow being driven into his stomach and being warped back to the forest for another quick beating. The smoke quickly faded away leaving Overhaul alone.

"Shield!" A yellow barrier was quickly formed around Overhaul as he surveyed the room before it too disappeared. After a few more seconds, a wall was busted down as a giant beast of a man broke in with a small doll thing riding on top of him that was holding a gun. A small pop was heard near the back of the room now that Overhaul and company were looking for it. Walking out from behind the crates was Noh, the thief that had been a thorn in Overhaul's side for far longer than the Yakuza boss liked. There was only ever a vague description of the thief but Overhaul could tell from the one thing that was consistent: The kitsune mask.

"So, you were the one that stole Eri... that's a handy warp quirk you've got there."

'_Dammit… he knows I have a warp quirk from me taking Eri right out of his hands. This is bad… Now I can't rely on the other quirks or he'll figure more out. I just hope no one figures out how my warp works-"_

"I take it works from all these crosses on the ground?"

'_Oh, come on!'_ Seigo had to remain still to hide his body language so he didn't show his frustration. While he took down the three people he figured would be the most trouble dealing with, he didn't have any more plans for the rest of them. But he needed to stay. The heroes needed to stop Overhaul and to do that, he needed to keep them there… if they were coming at all. He hoped they would since he basically dropped four criminals at their doorstep. Overhaul took a quick look around as Rappa finally arrived to complete the four remaining Shie Hassaikai members.

"Bloodhound's gone, boss," the voice came from the small doll on top of Katsukame's head. It was all black with stubby legs, creepy long black fingers and a white plague mask stitched on like a stuffed animal.

"You took out my tracker, my shield and my voice. You knew exactly where to hit us to make things harder for us. You really are impressive, Noh. Why not join me instead of having to make me kill you? You would no longer have to steal from drug dealers ever ag-" Overhaul offered, words betraying the cordial tone.

"No thanks, I've seen what you have planned for Eri and I want no part of that," Seigo tried to make his voice seem higher in pitch to confuse whether he was a boy or a girl, though it was harder to hide his anger at Overhaul. "You'll forgive me if I don't want a little girl having her blood turned into bullets."

"Ah, that explains it: You broke into my computer in the lab or maybe Chrono logged in and you took him out. That means Chrono's gone too," there was almost a hint of sadness in his voice. Almost, "Great, now I have to disinfect the lab again."

"You don't care about your own men?"

"Everyone in the world is expendable to my goals. Take the men next to me: all are willing to die to realize my goal of a world where the disease of quirks has been cured."

"Except that's not what you want, is it?! You plan to force both villains and heroes to become reliant on the drugs you make from Eri's blood so you can rule them both! You don't care about ridding the world of quirks; you just want to make chaos and profit off of it!"

"Watch your tongue, brat!" the plague doll threatened as he pointed the gun in his hand at Seigo. He had to be ready to move at a moment's notice or be shot. It looked like a revolver so it could be a normal gun or Overhaul may have already created the bullets. He didn't know how long they had been at this operation because he didn't get a chance to ask Eri.

"I wouldn't expect a kid like you to see the bigger picture," Overhaul's voice, despite it being full of anger, stayed a calm level tone, never once raising his voice, "Though, how did you get into our compound? Did you mark that idiot of a caretaker and use him to get in? There's no way you could have known what was going on or when the right time to warp in was so there must be more to you than meets the eye… Maybe you can sense what's going on through your markings?"

_'I wish it was that easy. He's smarter than I thought, though. Even if he's just making guesses, he's gotten a lot right. I could really use a hero right about now...'_

"I know how you operate," Overhaul began, causing Seigo to gulp quietly. "I had a feeling you were somehow involved but I didn't think you had a hand in this. I didn't think you'd make it past everyone, but, now that you've shown yourself, I know exactly what you're waiting for. You're waiting for the heroes to come and start a fight between us so they would have to arrest us, right? It's what you've done the last four times now,"

'_Why does he keep figuring things out? I didn't think he'd realize there was a correlation between my appearances and the police. Can't I just make a plan and have it work fine?'_

"YOU LITTLE WORM! Do you think you can trick the Shie Hassaikai and live?!" the talking doll shouted incredulously as he pointed his gun at Seigo

"Let me kill him! I haven't had a good fight in years!" Rappa let out a bloodthirsty laugh.

"I got woken up early for this runt?" Katsukame sighed as he cracked his knuckles.

"Mimic, come down here," The doll, Mimic, jumped down next to Overhaul, still pointing his gun. Overhaul pulled off one of his gloves and put his hand on the floor, disassembling the top layer and reassembling it to create a wave of spikes heading towards Seigo, forcing him to warp to one of the higher catwalks. Seigo noticed that he also destroyed all of the marks that he had placed on the floor, removing his ability to close distance. "Katsukame, Rappa, I can fix him if you kill him but make sure to not let him touch you or I'll have to kill you to get rid of the filthy marks he leaves. He's the only way we'll find Eri."

"Aw man… but I want to kill him…" Rappa said, disappointedly.

"He tells me where Eri is and I'll even make it so you can keep killing him," Overhaul quickly disassembled the spikes to rubble to allow his bruisers to charge Seigo.

"Nah, one is enough," Rappa quickly rushed forward and jumped up to the catwalk and firing punches towards Seigo, forcing him to back up. Katsukame followed up on the retreating Seigo by punching the catwalk where he had been, missing due to Targeted Warp taking Seigo away.

"He can warp faster than you two! Stop being obvious!" Mimic shouted as he searched for Seigo who seemed to vanish.

"Where did he go?" Katsukame asked, irritated at the moving target.

"Come back here and die like a man!" Rappa screamed towards the ceiling, enraged by the perceived cowardice of Noh.

Unbeknownst to them all, Seigo had hidden in the shadow of the door that Overhaul used to enter the warehouse earlier. He needed time to think.

'_Good thing I decided to overdo it when I marked every square meter of this place… I'm running out of ground to stand on though. I might need to run away soon if the heroes don't hurry. Let's see: I could take out Mimic really easily if Overhaul wasn't near him but as long as they're near each other, approaching them is a stupid idea. Those spikes came out fast and I'm not here to do a reaction time test. Rappa is dangerous but he seems to lack any strategic thought beyond "hit the thing really, _really_ hard!" and Katsukame is… pretty much just a bigger, slower version of Rappa but if he grabs me, it's over for me. All of this is on top of the fact that THE HEROES STILL AREN'T HERE?! What do you want me to do, beg?!'_

Suddenly, without any warning, a wall exploded into the warehouse, causing dust to fly everywhere and surprising Seigo enough to pop out of the shadow and turn on thermal vision. He could see a large, muscular shadow in the dust cloud.

"**Your time is up now, villains!"** Seigo's heart almost skipped a beat at the sound of the man's voice. A voice he knew all too well. **"Why?"** As the dust cleared, Seigo had to suppress the urge to squee as he recognized the red, white, and blue costumed man as he straightened up from his punching pose. His blonde hair was slicked back except for two bangs that stood straight up in a "V" and a smile as wide as his face could allow. **"Because ****_I AM HERE!_****"**

"ALL MIGHT?!" Everyone in the room suddenly looked ready to hose their pants except for Seigo who looked ready to bust out a notebook and ask for an autograph. He then quickly realized that he was no longer merged with the door shadow and hurried to merge with it again before someone noticed him.

"Mimic, why wasn't I informed he was in town?!" Overhaul demanded as he removed his second glove.

"I didn't know either!" Mimic said as his hands started to shake as he pointed a gun at All Might. He tried to pull the trigger but was stopped by Overhaul.

"Save them. We can't waste the ones we have," Overhaul faced the action again as All Might walked forward.

"Finally… A REAL CHALLENGE!" Rappa roared as he jumped towards All Might and started raining punches at him… only for all of them to miss due to All Might's superior speed.

"**HAHAHA, YOU CALL THOSE PUNCHES? ****_THIS _****IS A PUNCH! New York..."** All Might, faster than the eye could see, buried an absolutely brutal punch into Rappa's stomach,** "SMASH!"** sending him flying the length of the warehouse before crashing and getting lodged into the opposite wall, out cold. **"Quality beats quantity! Next time, put your back into it!"**

'_He's so cool!' _Seigo watched with awe as All Might took Rappa straight to Dreamland with a single punch. The confidence on display from the Number One Hero, feeling more emboldened and that everything would be fine as long as All Might was here. Katsukame tried his luck next through a huge punch towards All Might that the Symbol of Peace caught with one hand.

"Overhaul, sir! Run awargh!" Katsukame tried to warn his boss but got the same treatment as Rappa, only getting launched into the ground this time. Overhaul quickly put his hand to the ground and assembled a dome around him and Mimic, blocking them from view.

"**Don't think you can get away that easily!" **All Might broke the cement dome like it was paper mache, only to find nothing. **"They vanished? They must have used Chisaki's quirk to disassemble the floor and escape underground. I'll have to inform the police outside about it… And what about you, Noh?"**

'_EEP!' _Now it was Seigo's turn to crap his pants as All Might started walking towards where he was. There was a crate in the shadow too, so Seigo emerged from the shadow just out of All Might's view as to not give himself away. While still out of All Might's view, Seigo warped away from the scene. He was here way too long anyway.

* * *

Naomasa listened intently to the story, now understanding the full events of that spring morning. He took a sip of his water before speaking.

"So now that we know what happened concerning Overhaul, I suppose he never did find you again?" Naomasa took note of Seigo's current mood. He seemed a bit on edge like something was eating away at him.

"Not likely. With Bloodhound gone, any chance of finding Eri left with him. I knew about the quirk cuffs so I knew that with him in custody, Overhaul would never find Eri again."

"At least until his sentence expires," Seigo looked down at the table. Apparently, he didn't consider that, "Just being in the Yakuza wasn't enough for him to be arrested. Him assaulting an officer is what did that."

"And the others?"

"They're in Tartarus for different reasons," Seigo let out a sigh of relief. He must have been concerned about the members he took out. "Chronostasis for killing a police officer that was interrogating him for info on Overhaul," Seigo's gasped as he heard the news. "The officer had the ability to read the memories of people he placed his hands on. We could never find out _what_ he was hiding, but your story explains that now..."

"He couldn't let anyone know about Eri or what they did to her," Seigo finished as Naomasa nodded.

"It would seem that way. Speaking of Eri, where is she now?" Naomasa knew this was the most important question to ask right now and so did Seigo. He quickly turned away from Naomasa, unable to look at him. "I see. So, you won't tell me?"

"You can't force me to speak. I can't lie if I don't answer the question."

"A fair point but you do realize that your future is a very limited one if you don't cooperate fully with us?" More silence from Seigo as he seemed to be weighing his options. "I'll give you a moment to think about it. I need to use the restroom," Naomasa picked up the report from Tamakawa and left the room, leaving Seigo alone. He turned to the guard that would be guarding Seigo, "If he needs to use the restroom, escort him if you could." The guard nodded before walking in. Naomasa turned around to see that waiting for him outside was Tamakawa himself.

"Tsukauchi, sir, I have an update for you," Tamakawa said with a salute and an… uneasy look on his face...

"At ease, Tamakawa, no need to be so formal," Naomasa reassured with a chuckle. "You're among friends here."

"Well, it involves the parents of Izuku Midoriya," Naomasa's smile faded in a flash at the topic. The officer in front of him not looking too good didn't help matters.

"What's wrong? You couldn't get in contact?"

"Actually, it turns out that the Midoriyas don't even live in this country anymore…" Naomasa needed a second to internalize what he was told.

"...What?" he spoke after a long silence.

"We had an officer in Musutafu go to the address on file this morning, no one was home. We called the cell phone of Inko Midoriya on file, no response from anyone named Midoriya so it must be a recycled number. It wasn't until we sent a second officer to the apartment an hour ago that we finally got the story from the landlord as well as a friend of Inko Midoriya. Last year, after Izuku's case was considered closed and the motion was filed for him to be considered dead in absentia, Inko Midoriya suddenly... 'shut down' and because her husband, Hisashi, couldn't quit his job or they would lose their income as well as numerous other things like his pension, the decision was made for her to leave for the states to live with her husband so they wouldn't have to pay for two homes," Tamakawa finished explaining. Naomasa closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself.

'_It's not all bad. Just because they aren't in the country doesn't mean this is a huge problem. As long as we contact them about their son, they'll just fly over or maybe just send them a picture and have them confirm him that way,'_

"So, did you make contact with the Midoriyas or not?"

"We've got a friend of the family, Mitsuki Bakugou, attempting on our behalf. Apparently, Inko had to change her number earlier this year so we were running off of outdated information which matched the problem we were having earlier. She's one of the few people in the world with the right number because Inko's parents are both dead and she has no other family that we know of. We're currently looking into Hisashi's info to find his place of business but we're having poor luck on that front too. Get this: he got a new job so the company we called doesn't know where _he_ is either. The Midoriyas, in various ways, are swiftly becoming the HPD's biggest pains in the ass and a lot of the guys want to just give up on that front because they just don't think it matters." Tamakawa finished his long-winded rant about the Midoriya family's inability to be contacted and his frustration with other officers.

"We're contacting the kid's parents to identify him. How does that not matter?" Naomasa asked incredulously.

"That's what I was saying but nooooo, they think the kid is on his way to a correctional facility anyway so it doesn't matter to them." Naomasa realized then that no one had been informed on whatever Nezu was plotting. He just hoped no one started a riot if what Naomasa thought Nezu was planning was found out. "Right now, it's me and two other officers actually trying to find these two," Tamakawa's bad mood was starting to affect Naomasa as he felt just as angry at the poor work ethic on display but he did a better job at hiding it.

"Well, do what you can. I'll speak with Chief Tsuragamae later to see if he could do anything. We just have to hope that Mitsuki Bakugo comes through for us. Is there anything else?"

"There is one thing and it involves Endeavor," Tamakawa replied, causing Naomasa to sigh into his hand.

'_Oh, joy, just when things couldn't get any more annoying, the walking fire safety violation__ shows up,'_ Naomasa respected the man's work ethic… but that attitude of his… "What did he want?"

"He wants to know why no public statement about Noh's capture has been made. Only that 'we've captured a villain that was terrorizing the streets'."

"What, he wants glory? If we were going to make a statement about it, we'd be giving credit mostly to Eraserhead since he was the one that stopped Noh. All Might and Endeavor actually did more damage to Hosu than Noh himself, funnily enough," Naomasa explained. _'Also, because All For One is connected and that means that this is classified to hell and back. Only 10 people in the building have been informed that Izuku is Noh. The rest have been told he's just a thief for now.'_ He had to think of a way to get the giant flaming hero off his back before he causes more problems.

"This is what you'll tell him: We haven't made a statement yet because we're looking for accomplices and we don't want to give away that he's been captured,"

"Understood, I'll see if that will placate him for a while,"

"It should. He knows how it goes," Tamakawa saluted before heading back to work, leaving Naomasa to finally use the restro-

"Tsukauchi, come here a minute," Or not. Naomasa was stopped by the deep voice of Yagi calling from the doorway of the observation room.

"What's the matter?"

"It's Nezu. After he read the report, he stormed off towards Chief Tsurugamae's office!" Naomasa would ordinarily dismiss such a claim that someone like Nezu would do such a thing as 'storm' towards the chief's office but his quirk told him otherwise. Still though…

"Are we talking about the same Nezu?" Naomasa asked, unconvinced of such a thing.

"When it comes to quirk experimentation and exploitation like what happened to Noh and Eri, Nezu tends to take it personally since he's been there," Eraserhead explained, still staring towards Noh on the other side of the one way glass before finally breaking the stare to look at Naomasa, "Why do you think he's going so far for this kid?"

* * *

Seigo was lost in thought, trying to make a decision on one question: Could he trust Detective Tsukauchi? What would happen to Eri if he did? Would she be made a lab rat again? Or would she just be given shelter until she could control her quirk. What would they do after that? Put her up for adoption so he could never find her again.

If he doesn't trust him though… he'd be sent to a correctional facility for who knows how long and the chances of seeing her again plummet.

Seigo continued to weigh his options before the door opened to reveal the detective returning from his bathroom break.

"Sorry about that," He apologized as he sat back down. "Not sure what my wife put in my breakfast but it didn't seem to want to agree with me there," His attempt at a joke to lighten the mood fell flat as Seigo just stared at the detective. "Right, so have you thought it over?"

"Can I ask a question?"

"Shoot,"

"What would happen to Eri if I told you where she is?" Naomasa's eyes visibly widened at the question, though he had expected it would come up.

"The principal of U.A. has been listening to everything you've said since last ni-"

"The principal of _U.A._ is _here?!_" Seigo interrupted with a shout, surprising Naomasa. "_The_ Principal Nezu?!"

"Is there more than one Principal Nezu?" Naomasa had to remember that Seigo _was_ considering entering a hero school. He would of course know about Nezu. "Anyway, as I was saying, he's been listening to everything you've said since last night and was outraged when he heard about what the Shie Hassaikai were doing to Eri. Do you know about Nezu's past?"

"I heard he was an extremely rare case of an animal with a quirk but not much beyond that is public." It took a second but the gears finally clicked for Seigo, "He was experimented on?" Naomasa nodded to Seigo's question, "Okay, but, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Nezu is currently petitioning to the Chief of Police to have Eri turned over to U.A. so they can take care of her," Naomasa leaned closer with a warm smile and spoke in a calming voice. "I get that you don't trust the police but can you put your trust in someone who has been in the same place that you and Eri have been? Being used for someone else's gain?"

Seigo had to admit that it was tempting. So very tempting. Nezu at least knew what it was like to be a science experiment for someone else's profit. He could be trusted… maybe.

"I want to hear what's going to happen from Nezu and the police chief before I say anything,"

"And if they agree to have U.A. take Eri in?"

"If she's no longer going to be used like she was before… then I'll talk. I'll tell you where Eri is," Seigo held his hand out as if for them to shake on it, which Naomasa took and shook, though he had to check his palm to make sure there wasn't a mark on it.

"Then we have a deal. I don't think the chief will turn Nezu down but I know you want to hear it from the horse's mouth so we'll change subjects for now," Naomasa suggested, with Seigo nodding in agreement. "This was your sixth job, correct?" a nod, "That means that the last one was last night?" another nod, "That's a year and a half since the fight with Overhaul. What was with the huge delay? Why the long drought if you were desperate for money?"

"Two reasons. First, I was afraid that you guys had found out about Targeted Warp from Rappa and Katsukame who were there during Overhaul's breakdown of it so I knew I needed to lay low for a long time. The copycats really started to rise during this time which didn't help. The second was because I became more committed to actually entering a hero school and looking for Shigaraki that way so I focused on training as well as looking after Eri so there was little time to _be_ Noh but then something came up,"

"And that was the last job?"

"I had found an information broker named Trackdown who agreed to give me All For One's location in exchange for something."

"What was this something?"

"He wanted information that he didn't know about. Could be anything so I told him about Shigaraki and Kurogiri, their quirks and affiliation to All For One Thankfully, he didn't know about them so he considered it a fair trade. After that I found out he was in Hosu, I made all the necessary preparations."

* * *

The cool November afternoon air blew across the beach as Seigo was carrying Eri in his arms as he walked down the stairs. He agreed to meet with his friends who knew about Eri and needed to talk to them in person so they all agreed to meet at Dagobah beach. It honestly impressed him how much it had changed from April. It was coated across the whole beach in garbage but Uraraka did it. She managed to clean the whole beach spotless. He wondered if she got All Might's quirk yet before a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sei!" Seigo turned to see his three friends walk towards him. Tsuyu, who he had known the longest, Uraraka, the bubbly brunette that was chosen by All Might to be the next Symbol of Peace, and maybe Seigo's most unlikely friend...

"Tsu, Ocha, Mino!" Eri shouted as she saw the three friends. They were all dressed for the fall with Tsuyu in a green coat and scarf, Uraraka in a well-loved pink hoodie that had a few tears in places and "Mino" wearing a purple jacket. "Mino" was a tiny, stubby guy only coming up to people's waists in some cases with purple balls sticking out of his head. "Mino '' suddenly got really down at hearing the nickname.

"Eri, I told you to stop calling me ''Mino"! I am not a fish! It's Minoru!" Minoru's attempts to beat the idea of just using his normal name went about as well as it always did. Poorly.

"Frankly, I think it fits perfectly. You're small like a minnow anyway and you tend to smell like dead fish sometimes," Tsu spoke, not missing a beat.

"Yeah, who asked you?" Minoru muttered, sulking a little. "And I smell fine! It's called 'Ocean Male' scented body wash."

"Guys, guys, let's behave. No need to get so flustered over a nickname." Ocha reassured in a cheery tone. "We're all friends, right?" The other four nodded, "Then it's our job to help a friend when he's in need!" Ocha raised her fist in the air with energy, getting everyone to cheer up.

"So, what's it this time? It's rare that we actually all get together like this and you sounded pretty serious over the phone."

"Well, you three know my living situation and it's going to be getting a bit more complicated for a little while." Seigo lied. He didn't want to worry them with what was really going on with him, "I need one of you three to take care of Eri for a few days," The three reacted with surprise.

"Take care of her? Like how? Hide her in our house?" Ocha was the first to speak, the most surprised of the group.

"Why do you need to get rid of Eri so quickly, ribbit?" Tsu inquired calmly with a finger on her chin, trying her best to understand what was going on.

"I'm sorry but…. I can't say why…" The three looked at Seigo for a moment. There was an awkward silence

"Well, then I'm not going to force it out of you," Minoru spoke, seeming the least surprised by this turn of events. "Your business is your business. However, I don't think my mom is going to let me keep another kid in our small apartment. Especially since my mom forbids me from having girls stay the night. Says it might taint me,"

"I think it might be too late for that," Tsuyu dryly pointed out.

"That's what I said but she won't listen," Minoru said with a shrug.

"My family definitely doesn't have enough money. They'd love to have her, honestly, but… we've barely got enough as is," Ocha said with a whine. It was written on her face that she couldn't have Eri over and it hurt her to admit it.

"That just leaves my family… I know Samidare and Satsuki would love to see her. Let me just call my mom real quick," Tsuyu walked away from the group for a second to phone her mother.

"Say, Sei, why did you call us all the way out here? Wouldn't have been faster to just call and ask us?" Minoru asked, a bit skeptical. Seigo gave a nervous laugh before answering.

"I just thought it's been a while since we all hung out, what with everyone's training to get into U.A., so I figured this was a good enough excuse,"

"That sounds great! I haven't seen Eri in forever with how busy I've been,"

"Well, why don't you hold Eri?" Ocha jokingly gasped at the suggestion.

"Can I? What do you think, Eri?" Eri answered by reaching out towards Ocha. Seigo then deposited Eri into the warm and friendly arms of Ocha. "Want to go play in the sand, Eri?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Ocha let Eri down and had the five-year-old drag her further down the beach. Once the two were out of range of the others, Minoru dragged Seigo down to his level to whisper.

"So, why'd you really drag us out here? More Noh stuff?" Minoru was the only person who knew who Noh was. Not Seigo's choice, though. Minoru was the only one who figured it out on his own.

"It is. I've found where Shigaraki is,"

"So, you're going after him?! Are you stupid?! I thought you gave this crap up when you rescued Eri but now you're really going through with it?!"

"Don't worry. I just need to lead the police and heroes to them and it will work itself out like always!"

"We're talking about the bad guy to end all bad guys here! You told me all about All For One and how he's 'the most powerful supervillain in Japan' and you mean to tell me that you want to fight this guy?! I know how you work, Sei. I've helped you before and I know this is a bad idea like I know that Ochako over there is a total babe. You can't do this."

"I need to make sure this guy is stopped, Minoru. He can steal quirks so maybe he can give them too. Since Shigaraki was sent by him, he knows the reason for all these quirks I have. I need to know why," Minoru was getting really tired of Seigo by the look on his face.

"Fine, but when this goes belly up, I'm not going to be the one to explain to Eri how her brother is a total idiot who can't let the past go or how her brother is a lying sack of shit when he said he was done being Noh," Minoru looked genuinely hurt about this. "And I'm certainly not going to explain how my best friend went and died for nothing." Minoru, with tears in his eyes, stormed off up the stairs.

"Minoru, where are you going?" Tsuyu asked as she was done with her phone call, concerned as she watched her friend stomp away.

"I'm going home!" Minoru shouted as he walked away, trying not to betray the fact that he was crying.

"What did you say to him?" Though her face was as blank as ever, Seigo had plenty of experience by now with reading Tsuyu's emotions. She was annoyed.

"Something stupid," Seigo admitted while scratching the back of his head shamefully, "I'll apologize to him later when we've both calmed down. He probably doesn't want to hear it right now anyway. How'd it go?"

"They'd be happy to look after Eri!" Tsuyu answered with a smile, earning one from Seigo as well, "They even offered to let you two move in with us if you wanted. They don't like the fact that you're still homeless."

"You know I can't. The people who killed Tai are still looking for me,"

"And so, you plan to go to the most high-profile high school in the country?" Tsuyu asked, finger on chin.

"It's perfect _because_ it's high profile. Who would be stupid enough to attack it head-on for one student?"

"Well, maybe. In any case, you better make up with Minoru soon. I don't like getting phone calls after you two fight where he's crying into the phone saying you hate him and he has no friends anymore like me and Ochako don't exist,"

"So, you _do_ think of him as a friend?" Seigo said with a smirk.

"Very distant friend, maybe," Tsuyu turned to walk to where Eri and Ochako were playing.

* * *

Later that night in Hosu, Seigo was walking down the streets, looking for the address that he was given. Seigo's heart was beating at a near uncontrollable level. He knew Minoru was right and this was a bad idea but still… He couldn't let it be. Once he confirmed that All For One, or Shigaraki, or Kurogiri or any combination of the three were there, he could call in the heroes. He hoped they'd be enough.

As Seigo approached the address on the paper he was given, Bio Scanner flipped on. _'Threats,'_ He started counting all of them in his head. One, two, five, twelve, twenty, forty, way too god damn many. Though one of them was one he recognized.

Shigaraki. He happened to be near another few threats all gathered in a room away from where the main conglomerate of them were. Seigo pulled out his calling card that he had prepared beforehand and sent it to the Hosu police. He just hoped they would respond. While he waited, he needed more evidence of what they were doing. It was a large building that was wide compared to the taller building surrounding it. He noticed that the building had a fenced off alleyway next to it. Seigo warped one of his rocks to his hand and looked around. Seeing no one, he threw the rock through the gaps in the fence and warped to the other side. He followed the alley until he found what he was looking for. A window leading inside. It was taller than him but he had prepared for this. Warping in a step ladder and climbing up it to get a good view. What he saw next, shocked him. Disformed human beings… if you could even call them that anymore, floating in various tanks. Each one was different from the last. Some had beaks, some had extra limbs, some the size of All Might and others smaller than Seigo himself. All had one thing in common though… the exposed brains. Seigo was so shocked by what he was seeing that he wasn't paying attention to Bio Scanner.

"Well, would you look at this," Seigo gasped as he turned to face the raspy voice. He saw Shigaraki in a black jumpsuit, red sneakers, and hands gripping him all over his body. Kurogiri was there as well, dressed like a bartender in a suit and tie though no jacket. Seigo at first felt fear seeing the two of them but he could suddenly hear his heart beat in his ears. Pounding louder and louder. He could feel himself becoming enraged, offended by their existence. He could hear their voices but they seemed muffled like they were talking through water. His vision suddenly turned red until he couldn't even see anything anymore. He blacked out, only hearing one thing inside his head beneath what sounded like static.

**KiLl ThEm. ShIgArAkI. kUrOgIrI. aLl FoR oNe. ThEy MuSt DiE.**

* * *

"You blacked out again? Isn't that different to what you told me this morning?" Naomasa became concerned as his quirk didn't register a lie when they were talking about the recording and what happened after Seigo finished listening to it.

"Blacked out is probably the wrong way to put it," Seigo admitted, "It was more like I was swallowed up in my own head and was no longer aware of what was going on. I could hear some muffled noises like someone was talking but I couldn't tell you what they were saying. It was like I was drowning in boiling water until it just suddenly stopped and I felt myself black out for real."

_'That must have been when Eraserhead erased his quirk...'_ Naomasa theorized.

"Next thing I know, I'm in the back of a police transport with these cuffs on my wrists." Seigo had to make sure not to let anything slip about the one voice he could make out. It sounded… familiar in a way but he couldn't make out who it sounded like. "As far as what was going on, I haven't got a clue."

_'So he wormed around my quirk's weakness by not realizing the two incidents were related because of how different they were,' _Naomasa sighed as he looked at the clock. It was almost seven now. The story was over. While he could ask about the crimes against the Trigger factories but it wouldn't really net them anything that he couldn't find out from the files Seigo had collected. There were only two things left.

"Did anyone know that you were Noh before you were arrested? Any accomplices?"

"I never told anyone I was Noh and I did all my jobs on my own," Not a lie but it doesn't answer the question. Naomasa felt unsatisfied but decided not to push it for now.

"If you'll excuse me then, I need to honor my part of the deal we made."

Naomasa walked to the door, only to find Nezu and Chief Tsuragamae waiting for him just outside the door. Naomasa stood aside to let the two into the interrogation room with Nezu taking the only chair in the room, leaving the other two to stand. Nezu had in his paw two sheets of paper which he set down on the table.

"Hello, Young Saichirou!" Nezu exclaimed cheerfully, "I'm Principal Nezu of U.A. or often known as the guy you can't quite make out if he's a mouse, a dog, or a bear!" Seigo tilted his head slightly.

"Wait, you mean you're not a badger?" Seigo asked innocently but it prompted Nezu to howl with laughter.

"That's a great one! I've honestly never heard anyone call me that one before!" Nezu quickly regained his composure as the Chief of Police stepped forward.

"I am Kenji Tsuragamae, Hosu's Chief of Police, woof," Seigo had to resist the urge to ask the dog man about the "woof". "You know what we're here to talk about, yes?"

"Eri."

"Correct! I didn't have a whole lot of time to have this made but here is the agreement regarding Young Eri," Seigo was handed a sheet of paper signed by both Nezu and Tsuragamae. "In exchange for handing Eri over, we will agree to have her taken to U.A. where she will receive the best care money can buy as well as teach her how to safely use her quirk. I can personally guarantee that we will _never_ resort to methods like Overhaul and only treat Eri as she deserves to be treated. Like a normal person." Nezu spoke with such sincerity and enthusiasm that Naomasa could tell that it was getting through to Seigo. He stared at the paper long and hard before looking back at Nezu.

"What happens to her after all that?"

"She'll be free to stay if she wishes as long as she needs to. We'll even allow her to go to school at U.A. if she becomes of age while staying. Given the circumstances regarding her quirk, we believe that she needs a safe haven and U.A. would be the best place for her." Seigo stared at Nezu's black eyes, trying to see if there was a deception. No matter how hard he looked, Nezu's welcoming smile never faded.

"I'm going to need something to write on,"

"You're holding something to write on," Nezu pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and handed it to Seigo who flipped the paper over and wrote down an address as well as a phrase.

"This is the address of my friend Tsuyu Asui. She's taking care of Eri for me. Eri will know I sent you if you say this," Seigo handed the paper back to Nezu who read the phrase to himself.

'_Big bro's a poopy head and so he sent me to make every day perfect!'_ Nezu's smile widened at the message.

"That's adorable! You really do care for her, don't you?"

"Just be careful. She grows on you fast." Seigo said with a happy smile as he moved to return the pen.

"Keep the pen, you'll need it for this next sheet."

"Next sheet?" Nezu quickly set the Eri sheet to his left before picking up the new sheet of paper to his right.

"Yes, indeed!" Seigo read the paper he was handed.

_Sworn Testimony and Sentence of Izuku Midoriya (Aliases: Seigo Saichirou, Noh)_

_I, _, on risk of perjury, swear that all testimony recorded on video during interrogation is the truth. I __agree to waive a trial__ by pleading guilty to all charges leveled against me, such as:_

_Illegal quirk usage_

_Larceny_

_Kidnapping_

_Vigilantism_

_Resisting Arrest_

_I, _, in exchange for pleading guilty and offering intelligence regarding criminal and villain activity, the following will be enforced:_

_Must attend a high school while on probation until graduation._

_Must wear a GPS locator anklet at all times with certain exceptions applying (showering) via specialty key in possession of legal guardian. Time removed must not exceed ten minutes. _

_If no legal guardian claims me, I will be placed in the care of a probation guardian until a legal guardian arrives or graduation._

_Under house arrest until school begins with exceptions. Permission to leave can be granted by legal guardian or probation guardian at their discretion with exceptions._

_Surrender all assets acquired from illegal __activity to be donated to the Widows and Orphans of Villain Attacks Fund._

_Rules may be added or modified at assigned probation officer's discretion._

_I, _, acknowledge that any of the following will result in being sentenced to a correctional facility for a minimum of five years:_

_Expelled from high school and cannot transfer to another in a minimum of 60 days._

_Having criminal charges pressed._

_Probation officer's discretion._

_I, _, agree to all of the above and accept full responsibility for my actions, past, present, and future._

Seigo finally finished reading the paper in front of him before looking at Nezu. It was a hell of a deal: In exchange for obeying their rules, he'd be given a second chance.

"There's no way you got all this done in a few hours," Seigo remarked in disbelief.

"You'd be surprised what can get done with a little man power and knowing the right people. A judge has already agreed to the terms thanks to the Chief here vouching for this. That sheet of paper is now as legally binding as any court document. Unless you want to go through the whole mess of dealing with the courts for roughly the same outcome?"

"No, thanks, this is a… way better deal than I thought I was going to get. I really don't deserve _this_. But I have a question," He knew better than to dream but there was a small part of Seigo that was ready to burst at the thought that sprung to mind.

"Yes?" The principal of U.A, smile only widened with the question.

"It says I have to attend a high school," Seigo himself was smiling shyly, almost scared, "Does that mean…?"

"For the first time ever, a teenager on probation will be allowed to take the U.A. entrance exam!"

* * *

**A/N: I apologize if the way I'm portraying static in his head is weird but Fanfiction isn't exactly a fan of any alternate means. I also apologize to the Mineta haters. I hate the guy too but that's the reason I want to fix him. I believe he could be a good character… if he was written less like a creeper so that's what I'm gonna do with him using the power of friendship. Also Fanfiction won't let me make lines with _ so that's stupid.**

**Originally, this was going to be two chapters but I just kept writing and well… Here we are.**

**We got reviews! Holy crap! Let's go!**

**madisyn cordova: Thank you, my streetlight people! It means a lot to read that! Also, FanFiction doesn't like that you have a period in your name.**

**Anonboi, Anonyboi, anom, Anon: I'm almost certain this is the same person since they all came in during the same hour and a half stretch. Though this is a first as I've never seen one person right "anon" four different ways. I'm hoping whoever this is keeps coming up with new "anon" names. As for the reviews: I'm happy that you're interested in this. I feel pretty strongly about this story. Also, I know I'm only bringing it up now but I was going to bring up Izuku's parents a little later but you asking made me realize that it was a good question that I did need to answer. Inko will be here soon though, don't worry.**

***Edit: I have changed the summary to better reflect the actual contents of the story. Hope you're all understanding.**

**From this chapter, I learned three things: That it is possible to write 9000 in 16 hours, what it feels like to have your brain liquify itself. and that All Might in superhero mode is probably the most fun character to write in fiction. He's like BRIAN BLESSED as a superhero, it's amazing.**

**Next chapter: Izuku is kinda free and kinda boned and Eri is sunshine incarnate, Also the last Noh pun title. I promise… maybe. As always, review, fav, follow and all that good stuff and I'll see you guys next time! **

**Sal out!**


	6. Ch 6: Noh Monsters, Only Men

**Ch. 6: Noh Monsters, Only Men**

Seigo was sitting in a visitation cell staring at a plane of glass, gray walls and floors, and an empty blue chair, wondering who had come to visit him. It had been three days since his interrogation and Nezu's offer so he had started to wonder how much longer he'd be there. He reached his still cuffed hand into his pocket and pulled a photo to look at it. It was the same photo that Naomasa had shown him at the start of his interrogation. It brought his thoughts back to what happened after he signed the paper…

* * *

"And with that, everything is in order!" Nezu cheered with an almost childlike glee, "Now, naturally, you'd like to leave here as soon as possible," Seigo could feel his brow furrow in response, "but I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"You remember this photo, correct?" Naomasa pulled out of his trench coat pocket the photo of four-year-old "Izuku" and his mother playing together. "I'm sure you realized by now that she has yet to show up in any way. Well, we've hit a bit of a snag in contacting her," Naomasa admitted as he handed the photo to Seigo.

"I just assumed I didn't get to see her until the interrogation was over…" Seigo sadly remarked as he examined the picture in greater detail. The first time he looked at it, it gave him a massive headache that only gave him a faint voice talking to him but he couldn't make out the words. This time, it was far clearer as Seigo closed his eyes.

"_I'm so sorry, Izuku!"_ It was a woman's voice that Seigo could only assume belonged to the woman in the photo

'_Sorry? What was she sorry for?'_ Seigo felt dizzy as more memories started to pour in, his memories bouncing from one scene to the next.

"_I think you added ten thousand views on this video yourself," his mother said as she typed away on the keyboard as Izuku banged his head up and down in his seat, clutching his All Might action figure with all the strength a child could manage._

"_Help me!" Izuku threw open a door at the cry for help._

"_I am here!" he shouted in an All Might onesie as his mother sat under a blanket._

"_You should just give up," a mustached doctor told him bluntly as the scene shifted quickly to a hospital._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_You see Mrs. Midoriya, I'm afraid that Young Izuku is quirkless,"_

'_Quirkless...? That's right… I was quirkless... '_

"_Mom… d-do you think I can still be a hero…?" The boy asked with large tears in his eyes._

As Seigo felt more and more of his memories return to him, he suddenly snapped his eyes open at the sound of Nezu's voice.

"Young Saichirou?" Seigo took a quick look around the room at the other three men who all gave looks of concern for him. "Are you alright?"

"I… remember my mom…" Seigo said as he clutched his head.

"That's good to hear," Naomasa sighed with a smile. It was reassuring that it wasn't anything too serious. "Did you remember anything else?" Seigo shook his head at the question before speaking.

"All the memories are things having to do with my mother. Us playing together, the day I found out I was quirkless, her playing me a video of All Might's debut but anything outside time spent with her is still missing…" Seigo confessed as he rubbed his aching temples. He suddenly had the urge to go to sleep.

"I asked this question before and got an answer I wasn't expecting but maybe now we'll get a different one," Naomasa stated, grabbing Seigo's attention despite the headache he was experiencing, "Who are you? Seigo Saichirou or... Izuku Midoriya?" Seigo felt like his head was splitting open at the question.

'_My name is…'_

* * *

Seigo heard a door open to his left on the other side of the glass, allowing the emaciated man that he knew was secretly the Number One Hero in Japan: All Might. Though he knew he couldn't say that as he noted the cameras recording them both as All Might sat down.

"Good morning, Young Saichirou… or is it Midoriya now? You weren't very clear last time I was here,"

"To be honest, it feels like my name but it also feels like the name of an old friend that I haven't seen in ages…" Seigo admitted as he looked All Might in his sunken blue eyes. "But, if they find my mother and she comes to get me, I guess it's for the best if I am Izuku Midoriya…"

"You don't sound sure about that,"

"It is what it is," Izuku said with a shrug, "I was missing a whole ten years' worth of memories and I can only remember the times with my mother and my name now," Izuku took one more look at the photo of his mother before putting it back in his pocket. He hadn't had any new memories since Naomasa let him keep it and he doubted he'd get more from it, "Speaking of names, I don't think you ever told me yours," Izuku said with a smile as he gestured to the camera behind All Might, netting a smile from the Number One Hero.

"I guess that would be a slight problem if you didn't have anything to call me," All Might joked as he faced Midoriya, "Toshinori Yagi, All Might's 'secretary'," Yagi explained with a knowing wink.

"Understood, _Mr. Yagi_," Izuku's emphasis on his name made Yagi a bit concerned. It would seem the cocky part of Izuku was returning to form. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Yagi's smile faded as he began to speak.

"A few things but the most important is what happened a few nights ago when you were captured," Yagi leaned close to the glass as if he was trying to convey a secret, speaking in a low voice, "Do you honestly not remember anything about what happened after you saw Shigaraki?"

"Nothing that I didn't already say…" Izuku lied as he scratched his head. It would still be problematic to admit to the voices in his head telling him to kill Shigaraki, Kurogiri and All For One, "In fact, I still haven't been told what exactly happened. Detective Tsukauchi was vague and didn't explain anything."

"There's a reason for that," Izuku couldn't help but shrink under the intense gaze of Yagi. Even if he was smaller than normal, it was still All Might. "What if I told you that you and All Might had fought that night?"

Yagi could tell that Izuku was taken aback as the gasp of shock and him nearly falling backwards out of his chair proved to him. The boy was in complete disbelief.

"I wouldn't believe that! I would think I would remember fighting _All Might_ at least a little! It's the greatest hero in the world we're talking about here! Even crazier is that I would _stay and fight_ if I saw him coming my way!"

"Well, you did and it wasn't pretty," Yagi said with an amused smile, "Let me be clear, we believe you have a quirk that even you aren't aware of and it might just be the strongest quirk I've ever seen since… you know what," Izuku knew what he was referring to: One For All. The quirk that All Might had was one that had been passed down from person to person, gaining strength with each succession. At first it was only as strong as a normal man. Now, it had such power that All Might could demolish a building with his pinkie… from the other side of the street. To have a quirk that strong would be the gift of a lifetime for any hero hopeful… if only the gift was from a better source.

"As strong as that…? Why…? How…?" Izuku looked like his whole world was falling apart. He had power like that? Why couldn't he remember any of it? What the hell was going on with him?

"I can't answer any of that. And unfortunately, under the current circumstances, we're unable to tell you exactly what happened right now," Yagi said as he pointed at the camera. The full story would have to wait. "In more lighthearted news, we've managed to get in touch with Inko Midoriya, your mother," A gasp of surprise fell out of Izuku's mouth. "Due to her being in the States, we had to have her flown in. It's actually the reason it's taken so long to get you out of here," Yagi admitted as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "From what I'm told, she'll be here soon as well as with someone else." Izuku's brow rose inquisitively at the statement.

"Someone else? My dad?"

"No, unfortunately," Yagi said with a sigh, "Due to the abrupt nature of your... 'reappearance', he was unable to secure time off to come here though I'm sure you can talk to him on the phone later," Yagi's tone turned somewhat grave, as if Death himself was paying him a visit, "No, the person coming with her will be the Pro Hero, Eraserhead." Izuku could feel himself gulp at the tone that Yagi had revealed that piece of information. Eraserhead: Quirk: Erasure. From what Izuku could figure out, it allows him to cancel out the quirks of anyone he lays his gaze on. A man to be feared since one look from him and Targeted Warp, his number one escape option goes right out the window with the rest of his quirks. At that point, he's a fifteen-year-old with basic aikido and whatever he can get his hands on to save him.

"Why him, exactly?"

"Two reasons that I know for sure but there may be more I don't know about," Yagi scratched the back of his neck as he looked towards the door for a second before refocusing on Izuku, "The first is because of… that night, he's been placed in charge of training you," Izuku stared at Yagi, puzzled by that statement.

"Training me? Let me guess, the 'mystery quirk' that no one will talk about, right?" he said, snark palpable in the air.

"I promise we'll explain everything when your mother arrives," Yagi reassured with a smile, "She needs to hear this as much as you do after all and Eraser has never been fond of explaining things twice. He'd call it a 'waste of time'," Yagi let out a chuckle as he thought about the overly serious hero. His smile didn't fade when he continued, "The other reason is because of Young Eri," Izuku had to will himself not to fly out of the chair and remain calm. He needed to be patient before he does something that could make things worse.

"What about her?" The serious look in Izuku's eyes caused Yagi's smile to drop as he answered his question.

"We'll need to train her quirk for not only her safety but the safety of those she would come into contact with, but we've got a problem. Despite all the info we could get from the computer in the storage garage you were staying in, we don't know… anything really about how it works. Eri herself, doesn't even know how to turn it on and that's a _massive_ red flag," Yagi explained as Izuku listened, "If she can't turn it on, naturally, she can't _turn it back off_ again."

"Right… I ran into the same problem with her myself," Izuku admitted, "I quickly realized it would be too dangerous to train after I remembered what was written by Overhaul. 'Can rewind living people'."

"The key word there is 'living', correct?" Yagi interjected, earning a nod from Izuku.

"It's possible it could work on plants but I won't know, Eri would always freeze up at the thought of using her quirk whenever I asked, saying she didn't want to make the tree… 'disappear'," Izuku sighed, "And even if it could work on the dead, I'm not one to go grave-digging for corpses."

"It seemed the trauma didn't start with Overhaul…"

"No… according to Eri… she first used her quirk on her dad…" Izuku revealed with a somber tone.

"Chisaki?" Yagi asked, confused.

"No, her _real_ dad," Izuku clarified, "But, she doesn't remember the event clearly, only getting bits and pieces from others, like Overhaul."

"Not the most reliable of sources," Yagi snarked.

"Yeah, but to someone as young as her, it didn't matter," Izuku remarked with venom in his voice, "It's not hard to make a four-year-old believe anything, even if that was killing your own dad."

'_I guess you would know, since she called you "her big brother",'_ Yagi thought to himself, trying his best to not let the comment slip out, lest he anger Izuku by making even the broadest of comparisons to Overhaul. "In any event, we'll be having you present for Young Eri's training. It would be easier for all parties involved if she had a face she trusted."

"Especially when the face she has to look at is Eraserhead's, right?" Izuku joked as he let out a light chuckle. The door to the room suddenly opened, revealing the devil himself, eyes red and black hair standing up.

"Want to say something to me, Noh?" Eraserhead darkly asked, voice low and threatening.

"Eep?!" Izuku had faced many dangerous situations… but he might have been trapped in the worst of them all. The only thing between him and a clearly pissed-off Pro Hero was the plane of glass. He blinked, causing his long hair to fall back down, partially obscuring the area around his now black eyes. He quickly pulled out some eye drops as he spoke.

"Mrs. Midoriya, you're free to come in now," Izuku quickly snapped out of his fear and quickly looked towards the door with anticipation, waiting for his mother to walk in. After a few tense moments, a green haired, stout woman in a pink blouse and knee length skirt walked in with her eyes closed and her body stiff. Slowly, fearfully, she opened her eyes to look at the boy they said was her son and take in every bit of his features. The green messy hair, the green eyes, his freckles, even his facial structure from ears to chin.

And then the waterworks started.

"OH, MY BABY, IZUKUUUUUU!" Izuku was taken aback as the crying woman in front of him ran at the glass and slammed her hands into it to get as close as physically as two literal rivers of tears flowed out of her eyes, "IT REALLY _IS_ YOUUUUUU!"

Now that he had the chance, Izuku pulled out the photo from earlier and compared the two women. Outside of the obvious weight gain, looking ten years or so older and having her eyes replaced with fire hoses, she was a perfect match.

"...Mom…?"

"Oh," Inko quickly gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, the tears not stopping, "My baby… YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH WE'VE MISSED YOUUUHUHUHU!" Izuku could feel tears of his own falling down his face as he let out a sad chuckle. Though it's been so long since he's seen her, his heart felt like it was about to burst as he took in his crying mother. He couldn't deny it: This _was_ his mother.

"As much as I hate to ruin the family reunion, we need to get your son processed so the four of us can leave," Eraserhead piped up as Yagi stood from his chair. The mother and son waterfall duo quickly calmed down, eyes still red and noses stuffy. Eraserhead walked up to the glass, staring down Izuku with a glare, "Izuku Midoriya, as of today, you're officially on probation for your crimes as Noh. You and your mother have been made aware of the conditions of your probation so I'll skip formalities and leave that to the police. You'll be placed in your mother's care and from now until the date of the Entrance Exam, you will submit to a special training course to get you into acceptable condition," Eraserhead's tone was level, bored even, but to Izuku, he could feel the hostility. If it wasn't clear before, it was now…

Eraserhead wanted nothing to do with him.

* * *

As the four were driven in Yagi's large SUV, a vehicle that would fit someone as tall as the Number One Hero when he was in his skinny form, the car ride was one of relative silence though for Izuku, it was rather nice. His quirk suppressing cuffs were off though now he had an itchy as hell anklet strapped to him to keep tabs on him as well as monitor his quirk usage. He was reunited with his loving but overly emotional mother for the first time in eleven long years as she sat next to him and wouldn't stop hugging him with tears in her eyes as if he would suddenly disappear again. All Might, the hero he looked up to more than anyone else, was personally giving them a ride to where they would be staying. They even gave him his quirk analysis notebooks back. The only problem was…

"So, now that we're free of the cameras, we can talk about what happened," Eraserhead, or Shouta Aizawa as he clarified to the Midoriyas, broke the silence that permeated the vehicle.

"You sure it's a good idea to talk about it now?" Yagi near pleaded, not wanting to broach the heavy topic, "Can't you let them have their happy reunion first?"

"It's another hour until we reach Musutafu so it's more efficient to talk about it now," Aizawa coldly reasoned, "Besides, he needs to be told if I'm going to train him how to use it. I'm sure the suspense is killing them now that I've brought it up," Aizawa, beneath his scarf, gave Yagi a knowing smirk to say to him, _'I'm telling him now, and there's nothing you can do to stop me.'_

"This is about the mysterious quirk Mr. Yagi mentioned, right?" Izuku asked from the safety of Inko's unyielding hug.

"The very same. Though I guess it would be best to explain what happened that night from our perspective since you have no memory of this," Aizawa tapped Yagi on the arm, "You explain it, you were there at the start of the fight," Yagi had to quickly cover his mouth as he coughed up blood.

'_Damn it, Aizawa! Just tell her I'm All Might why don't you!'_ Yagi glared out of the corner of his eyes before refocusing on the road. He had to explain what had happened without revealing he was All Might, "Fine, I was in Hosu helping All Might wrap up a case we just finished closing…"

* * *

"Alright, Toshi," Naomasa began with a smile on this face as he and the incognito Symbol of Peace as they strolled out of the police station, "What do you say we get something to eat to celebrate! I hear there's this nice sushi place a few streets away," he offered as he pointed in the general direction of the sushi place.

"You know I can barely eat, Naomasa," Yagi replied with a wide smile and a laugh, "Though I wouldn't mind treating you at the very least! It _was_ that intel you got for us that helped us find their hideout so quickly!"

"In that case, we're bringing Tamakawa," Naomasa said with a smirk, causing Yagi's smile to fade in a flash.

"No, please! I've seen that man eat sushi like he was at an all-you-can-eat buffet!" Yagi reached into his wallet, _'Is a hundred thousand yen enough? I might have to make a withdrawal…'_

Suddenly, without any warning, a huge explosion rocked the surrounding area as the two men turned towards the sound. Across town, rising above the surrounding buildings even at night, was a clearly visible plume of dust and debris.

"A villain attack?!" Naomasa shouted in shock before quickly regaining composure. "Toshi, how much time do you have left today?!"

"One hour," Yagi replied before running out of sight to change into All Might, "**Plenty of time to handle this!**" With those words, All Might jumped into the sky and began bouncing from rooftop to rooftop at speeds too fast for a normal person to follow. By the time he arrived, he found a building reduced to nothing but rubble, as well as significant damage to the buildings in the surrounding area… but no villain. _'Strange… Why destroy a building and then run for it? Must have been an explosive of some sort.'_

"So, _you're_ here too, All Might," All Might turned to see the owner of the voice approaching him. He was clad in a black costume with white gauntlets but the most striking aspect of the costume was that hit was set ablaze at various parts of the man's body, including his mustache.

"**Endeavor, I wasn't aware that you were in town as well**," All Might said in a pleasant tone of voice in an attempt to keep things civil. He was quite aware that Endeavor had it out for his spot as Number One Hero so he could tell that the scowl on the man's face was from distaste from being in his presence.

"I was doing an investigation when I saw the explosion," Endeavor spoke, barely containing his hatred as it laced his words, "The police should be here soon," All Might nodded before gesturing towards the ruined building.

"**In that case, we should check to make sure no one was caught in the blast**," All Might suggested before Endeavor walked past him, barely caring about the suggestion.

"You do that. I'm going to look for evidence to what caused the explosion in the first place," Endeavor spoke as he began to survey the scene for clues, "We might have a mad bomber on the-" Endeavor was cut off as a figure exploded out of the rubble. The figure was clad in all black that had been torn in several places, no doubt from the blast. But what was most striking is what happened when the figure looked towards All Might and Endeavor. Red, piercing eyes filled with nothing but anger, a freckled face contorted in a look of pure rage and teeth clenched together hard enough to crack stone. His hair was blood red and he was radiating an aura of the same color with red lightning sparking off of him every second or so. It was a boy, probably no older than 15-16 years old from what All Might could tell but as he approached the red-haired boy, he suddenly vanished from view at near imperceptibly fast speeds.

"**Wha-**" Suddenly sensing danger on his right, All Might smoothly dodged a swift kick from the boy, though the sheer wind pressure generated by the kick knocked him back several steps, preventing a counterattack. "**Ooh… He's fast…**" All Might grunted as he rubbed the spot of his right arm that shielded from most of the blow. His business suit was now a little torn from just the wind created by the strike. _'Yikes, this boy's stronger than he looks…'_ All Might was ripped from his thoughts as the boy continued his attack, attempting blow after blow on All Might who swiftly dodged them as best he could, before drilling a punch into the boy's stomach. "**SMASH!**"

The boy was launched down the street and slammed into an overturned car but quickly recovered, almost as if the blow _or_ the landing didn't even faze him as he rocketed down the street again. Endeavor took this moment and shot a torrent of flames at the kid.

"**Are you nuts?! You'll kill him!**" All Might shouted, causing Endeavor to sneer.

"He took a blow from you like it was an annoyance," Endeavor pointed out, "I don't think we can afford to hold back," and he was right as the boy and an identical shadowy double of him appeared out of the fire with his clothes burning off to deliver two thunderous punches to Endeavor's jaw, sending him flying into All Might, knocking him backwards as well. All Might checked on Endeavor real quick to see that he was reeling heavily from the attack but would be fine. Then the boy started talking as his shadow double took its place at its master's side.

"**Killed… him...**" the boy stood with his arms limp and staring at the ground, almost as if he was about to fall asleep. His voice sounded like it had an echo attached to it as if several people were speaking in unison. All Might began to wonder if he was referring to Endeavor before the boy continued, "**They… killed him… they… did something… to me…**" All Might could only look on in confusion as he moved away from Endeavor, hoping to draw the boy's attention off of him until he recovered. Who was he talking about? "**What… did they... do to me…?**" The boy suddenly jerked his head up to All Might, eyes staring daggers into All Might's soul, "**WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!**" The boy roared as he and the double moved towards All Might again, raining another series of blows that were somehow even faster than before as he seemed to blink in and out of sight as loud popping noises blended into the sounds of battle, allowing the duo to get several clean hits in. The boy even warped the car from earlier and tried to slam it into the hero. All Might tried to counter but each time he tried, he was the one that missed as another pop and the boy vanished from sight, only to deliver another blow that caused even the Number One Hero to flinch, including one kick being driven into the stomach injury he had gotten five years ago. All Might coughed up blood and panicked as he remembered his fight with All For One and the blow that did this to him and immediately put all his power into his next punch to stop the threat but he had to halt himself before he could deliver it as the boy suddenly stopped moving and the shadow double disappeared in an instant.

His hair, while still mostly red, started to turn green going from the tips and slowly made its way to the roots. His eyes turned green and glassy as his face went vacant as the rage from before left him and was replaced with emptiness. He dropped to his knees before dropping to the ground, unconscious.

"That was close," All Might turned to look, seeing Eraserhead walking towards him as he dropped tear drops into his dry eyes and began blinking them away, "You looked ready to end that kid just now."

"**He was far stronger than he looked, believe it or not. Power like his…**" All Might began.

"Was almost like yours if you think about it," Eraserhead interjected as he examined the boy. All he had left on him was the barely-held together remnants of his burnt and torn clothes. He turned the boy over to get a look at his face. The boy was out cold and didn't look to be waking up anytime soon so Eraserhead pulled out a pair of cuffs and slapped them around his wrists. "There, should keep him from going anywhere."

All Might didn't hear him; he had another problem to think about...

"**_WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!_**_"_

'_He must have mistaken me for someone else… almost as if he had no idea what was going on around him and was just lashing out uncontrollably at anything that happened into his line of sight. It was probably the explosion that activated his quirk and he lashed out… speaking of which…'_ All Might's mind wandered to the strange shadow double as well as the warping he performed during the fight, _'There can be no doubt about it. Those powers he showed have nothing to do with each other so the only conclusion is he has more than one quirk… and there's only one person who could do something like that…'_

After the police arrived and loaded the now stirring boy into the back of a police transport, whose hair had finally lost all of its red at the time of his awakening, there was one final question on All Might's mind.

'_Have I met that boy somewhere before?'_

* * *

"I…" Izuku looked at his shoes in disbelief at what he was told. He had _yet another_ quirk and it did… _that_ to him…? Turned him into some kind of monster? "I…"

"My Izuku… did all that?" Inko asked, unsure of what to think of the situation. She was told by Aizawa everything about what happened with her son from the kidnapping by a supervillain to the numerous quirks that were implanted into him but this...

This was just unbelievable to the poor woman. Her son picked a fight with All Might? Her son was his biggest fan… but now... now what was she supposed to do for her son? She's been so disconnected from him that she barely even knows him anymore… or what he could do.

Izuku couldn't find any words to say about it so he kept his mouth shut for now. The thought that he would see All Might, the Symbol of Piece and the hero he looked up to and wanted to fight him sickened him. Even worse was that it wasn't his choice.

It was the choice of his new quirk.

"Wait, but if he did that, why wasn't the destruction of property on the list of charges?" Inko brought up, focusing on the only thing she could find words to say about. Izuku then remembered that there was indeed nothing about the incident other than "resisting arrest" which, fair enough, but had nothing about demolishing a building and causing property damage to the surrounding area.

"Because there was evidence left over that suggested he weren't responsible for the building being destroyed," Yagi clarified, "Or at the very least, he didn't appear to have the ability required to level the building like that in one blow _and_ be caught under the rubble." _'Not to mention, if Shigaraki and Kurogiri were there, there was a chance _he_ was there as well so we can't quite put the blame squarely on his shoulders yet.'_

"That quirk of his, we're unsure of what to call it but one thing's for certain," Aizawa dryly refocused on the main issue as he looked over his shoulder to the back seat, "He's uncontrollable in that form from what we can tell as his personality is completely different and he seems unable to recognize who's around him. So, he'll be spending time working with me to control it. This is my ultimatum for you, Problem Child," Izuku hesitantly looked up to Aizawa to meet his gaze. "You and I have four mouths until the Entrance Exam. If you can't learn to control that power to my liking before then, you can forget about taking it at all because I'm not letting a walking health hazard into U.A., am I understood?" Izuku nodded, causing Aizawa to pull a sheet of paper from his outfit and handed it to his mother, "This is the schedule I prepared and the complete list of the rules to be enforced on your probation. You'll follow it to the letter to ensure we make you worthy of being at U.A. but it's only going to work if you yourself work hard and keep your nose clean. One in every three hundred entrants actually pass this test and if you fail, that's likely it for you. So, be sure to give it your all and go beyond, plus ultra."

Izuku knew those words as All Might's and U.A.'s slogan but now… now it just made him feel sick when Aizawa says it in the most spiteful tone possible. He swallowed the saliva in his mouth and managed to work up the courage to just say it.

"You don't want me to pass, do you?" Izuku said, causing Inko to gasp and Yagi to grimace.

"Personally, I don't even want you to take the test," Aizawa began, not even bothering to look at Izuku, "You're clearly a very dangerous individual with a quirk no one has any idea how to control and the ones you do know are also dangerous in the hands of someone as irresponsible as you. You've already shown you have very little care for rules and laws with your lengthy stint as Noh as you basically did whatever you felt like doing and shown that you're a reckless child who has no idea how your actions affect those around you," Aizawa then turned to glare at Izuku, who stared back in defiance. "Excuse me if I believe having such a student is illogical."

"Now hold on-" Inko was about to protest but was cut off by Aizawa.

"I wasn't finished," Aizawa coldly stated, catching the Midoriyas off-guard. "You have four mouths to prove to me that you're willing to change and actually become the hero Nezu thinks you can be and prove a willingness to continue improving well after that. If you do, then I will treat you no differently then I would treat any other student and do everything in my power to make sure that you can become that hero. If you don't, you'll be thrown out of U.A. in a heartbeat regardless of your test results… out of a catapult."

Izuku now understood what Aizawa wanted from him: Effort and change. It was true what he was saying: Izuku, as Noh, basically did as he pleased in the search for answers and survival. This was his second chance but he had to prove to not just Aizawa but to everyone that he was going to actually make use of it and actually be deserving of the opportunity. Izuku put his best "bring it on" face and nodded to Aizawa's demands.

"Good," Aizawa said as he hid a pleased smile behind his scarf, "If you can keep that look for the next three years, then there's hope for you yet," The vehicle pulled up to the apartment complex they were going to be living in. It was the same one that they had lived in before but they had to get a different apartment since they moved out. The two pulled out a pair of suitcases from the back containing Inko's luggage as well as Izuku's clothes from his former hideout. There was also a very heavy duffel bag with Izuku's name on it as well. Aizawa rolled the window down to speak to the Midoriyas.

"We start with your and Eri's training tomorrow at Dagobah Beach. All Might told me it should be nice and secluded this time of year so less chance of someone getting hurt in the crossfire. Till then, focus on studying for the Entrance Exam. The duffel bag is full of books we borrowed from a nearby middle school for your grade level. Your score in the practical is worthless if you fail the written test," with that warning, Aizawa rolled up the window and the two drove off, leaving the Midoriyas to move into their new… old… their home. Until Izuku realized something.

He never asked where Eri was staying…

Meanwhile back in the SUV, Yagi turned to Aizawa when they reached a red light.

"You think, maybe, you're laying this on a bit _too_ thick?" Aizawa sighed at the question, as if the answer was obvious.

"No, I don't," he answered bluntly, "If that boy thinks he has it hard now with just me, can you imagine for a second what would happen if anyone found out about his probation, his past, his multitude of quirks that he received from the most powerful villain in Japan, one of which lets him fight _you_ on even ground?"

"It wouldn't be pretty… and it wasn't even since I was trying not to kill him,'' Yagi countered as they turned a corner and he refocused on the actual point, "With the way people view criminals as irredeemable monsters and the pack mentality that comes with it…"

"He'd be attacked from all directions in seconds," Aizawa finished, "Physical, emotional, you name it and we haven't even talked about the fact that he might just end up in the hero course. With his abilities and quirks, he'd have no problem passing the practical and if he dedicates enough time to studying, the written test won't be much of an issue. With a person that the media and the common citizen would immediately look at and say he has no business in a hero course and the influence that comes from that, do you really think _I'm_ being harsh compared to what may happen?"

"But if he had some pillars of support, he'd be able to get through it," Yagi argued.

"You're right, it's what most people in his situation tend to lack," Aizawa agreed, "However, if he's not ready mentally for that adversity on his own, then even those same pillars might not be enough, no matter how many there are. Humans are emotional and because of that, we can be weak. Too often people turn to villainy not by choice but because all other routes through life were closed to them. Besides," Aizawa flashed a smirk at Yagi, "If he can stand up to me, he'll be fine right now under his own power. And if he proves himself, then I'll stand by him the same I would any student who's earned their place, as will all the other teachers at U.A."

"You intend to make him strong enough to deal with the burden he'll have to bear?"

"Though I'd rather not have to be the one to do it, I'm the one with Erasure and no classes to teach so I've got no place to argue with the logical choice."

"Ha, it's going to be a rough four months for him," Yagi chuckled,

"Good. Here's hoping it makes him stronger," Aizawa said as the vehicle pulled up to U.A.

* * *

As Aizawa walked into U.A. he stopped by the Nurse's Office to check in on the newest edition to U.A. High. He opened the door to see Eri receiving a bandage on the inside of her elbow as well as a few gummy bears while three of his co-workers tended to the girl.

'_Why are Hizashi and Nemuri here?'_

"Mmm!" Eri gushed as she ate the gummies, "They're so sweet!"

"See, little listener, it wasn't so bad, right?" Hizashi asked in his hammy radio host voice that Aizawa swears he wishes he had an off-switch to. Hizashi, or "Present Mic" was still in his hero outfit, decked from head to toe in leather with his popped collar hiding his directional speaker around his neck. His blond hair was slicked upwards by the ten tons of gel he used to get it that way. Eri, to her credit, smiled and nodded as she chewed on the fruity treat.

"It hurt a bit but it went away right away," Eri said joyfully as she rubbed her arm where the bandage was.

"Aw, who's a brave girl like I said?" Nemuri cooed as ruffled Eri's hair gently. Nemuri, known as "Midnight", was dressed in her skin-tight bodysuit and leotard to emphasize her… figure. Her dark hair flowed down her back as she kneeled down to Eri's level, forcing her to part it out of her eyes at times.

"Ah, Aizawa, you're back," Aizawa looked down to the ground to see the elderly owner of the voice.

"I take it you're done with the vaccinations, Recovery Girl?" Aizawa asked, despite knowing the answer.

"Yes, thankfully. The poor girl appears to never have had a shot once," Recovery Girl scratches her hair net covered bun in annoyance as she tapped her cane to the ground and straightened her doctor's coat that was too big for her as she dragged it on the floor, "It's horrible!"

"Just remember we've got to do Midoriya's shots tomorrow. He's likely hasn't had one in eleven years."

"You don't have to tell me that," Recovery Girl replied with a stern tone, "Even if I don't agree to the… extra shot we have to give him."

"So, Shouta my man, do you want us out so you can talk to the little lady?" Hizashi asked, seemingly bracing himself to be told to beat it.

"Not really," Shouta admitted with a shrug, "You two seem better equipped to take care of her than me."

"It's because I'm great with kids!" Nemuri boasted proudly as she poked Eri's cheek, earning a giggle from the little girl, "Isn't that right, Eri?"

"Maybe you should have become the Mom Hero instead of the 18 Hero!" Almost as soon as the words fell out of the blabbermouth hero's lips, Nemuri's head snapped in his direction.

"Hizashi?" Her face was peaceful and happy; her voice was carrying the tone of a murder in-progress.

"Y-Yes?" Hizashi seemed to catch on to how screwed he was now as the cheerfully enraged heroine walked up to him with a joyful smile.

"How many bones would you break if I threw you off the roof?"

"A-all of them?"

"That's right! Such a smart man you are," her serene face gave way to a death glare, "Don't make me."

"If you're going to punish him, don't do it in front of a child!" Recovery Girl shouted from her chair as she typed something on her computer, not even looking at the sight behind her, "Take it outside!"

"Okay!" Nemuri grabbed Hizashi by the ear and led him out of the room, "I'll teach you to mock my youth!"

"No, no! I want to live!" Hizashi grabbed the door frame, desperate to escape Nemuri's grasp, "I WANT TO LIIIIVE!"

"OUT!" Recovery Girl shouted as he prepared her cane. *Bonk* *Slam* "No hospital manners with that man, I swear!"

"Hehehehehehe!" Aizawa turned to see that Eri was having a giggle fit at Hizashi's expense as she fell back into the bed she was sitting on, laughing all the way down. Her laugh was even bringing a smile to Shouta's face. "Mr. Hizashi's so goofy!"

"Yeah, he's a goofball alright," Aizawa remarked before kneeling down next to Eri, "So, here's the deal, you'll be able to see your brother tomorrow as we need to begin his training as well as yours."

"Twain… ning? Like that thing Big Bro does with all those punches and kicks?"

"Not exactly," Aizawa sighed as he rubbed his forehead, moving strands of hair out of his eyes, "We're going to be training you to use your quirk safely," Eri seized up immediately like she saw a giant spider, fear filling her face as she shuffled away from Aizawa.

"No… I… I don't want to make people disappear…"

"We're not going to make anyone disappear. We've already got an idea on how to use your quirk safely without hurting anyone."

'But… what if something goes wrong…?"

"That's what I'm here for," Aizawa reassured her as best as he could, even if wasn't good at this, "My quirk will let me turn yours off in an instant so you don't need to worry about a thing. We just need to do a few things and everything will be fine," Eri looked into Aizawa's eyes with trepidation. "Don't worry, Midoriya will be right there as well," Eri's fear turned to confusion.

"Medooreya?"

"Right, I forgot to mention that part," Aizawa said as he scratched his head in annoyance, "I should explain..."

* * *

"Izuku, honey, how's the unpacking coming?" Inko asked as she knocked on the door to Izuku's new room. The door wasn't quite closed so the knocking opened it slightly. The mother poked her head in to see her son lying on his new bed, staring at the ceiling. "Honey, are you okay?" The boy remained silent, filling the mother with anxiety at her son giving her the silent treatment. _'Is he upset with me? Was I being too clingy on the way here when I was scared to let go of him? Does he not remember me as his mother? My son is an amnesiac and I don't know what to do! What am I supposed to do for him?!'_

"Mom?" Inko was pulled from her anxiety attack as Izuku looked at her, concerned as he pulled himself into a seated position on the edge of the bed, "Are _you_ okay?" The question was thrown back at her... and she only had one answer.

"No… No, I'm not…" She admitted to her son as she took a seat on the bed next to him, tears threatening to spill over again, "I… I didn't know what happened to my only son… for eleven _long _years… I didn't know where_,_ I didn't know how, I didn't even know _why_!" She cried as the tears finally fell down her cheeks again, "You were diagnosed as 'quirkless' and I didn't know what to do when you looked at me and asked if you could still become a hero! All I could think to do was say sorry to you for not being able to help you live your dream… and then two days later, you disappeared… I thought that you had run away, that it was somehow my fault as a horrible mother that you couldn't stand living here anymore..." Izuku could feel tears running down his face as well as he looked at his mother. For eleven years, she carried a burden of guilt. Without a second thought, he quickly wrapped his arms around his crying mother.

"I don't blame you for anything," Izuku declared, causing his mother to gasp quietly, "If I think about how I felt back then, they may not have been the words that little me wanted to hear, but I could never hate my mom for something that was and never will be _her_ fault."

"Izuku…" Inko returned the hug to her son, "Thank you…" The two hugged for a good while until they both stopped crying, "Look at me," Inko said as she wiped the tears from her eyes with a weak smile, "I'm supposed to welcome you back home and now I'm just unloading all this baggage on you… I'm a pathetic mother,"

"No, you're not," Izuku reassured, "I honestly can't imagine what it's been like for you but I promise from this point on, it'll all be better now!"

"My own son has had all these horrible things happen to him and _I'm_ the one that needs cheering up? How is that not pathetic?!" Izuku sighed a bit as Inko's anxiety broke through again. He didn't really know how to approach that.

"Maybe we should change topics… did you need something from me?"

"Oh, that's right!" Inko exclaimed as she snapped her fingers, "We need to call your father, Hisashi! He needs to hear from his son!" Inko quickly pulled out her phone and dialed up her husband but after it rang for about thirty seconds,

"Hi, you've reached Hisashi Midoriya, I'm unable to take your call right now, so please your name and a brief message and I may get back to you, thank you," Hisashi's voice came through the speaker, causing a brief flash in Izuku's mind, but nowhere near as powerful as his previous recollections. The voice was familiar… and that was about it.

***Beep***

"Hisashi, it's Inko," she said into the speaker, "We got back from the police station so your son's free to speak when you get the chance so call us back soon," Inko hit end call and put the phone away. "It's a little after five now so he'd be asleep in San Francisco… speaking of which… I think I've been feeling jet lag since we got home so I think we should eat dinner and I'll head to bed…" Inko staggered to her feet and walked up to the door, "It should be done in about fifteen minutes so be sure to wash up, okay?" Inko flashed a shaky smile and walked out.

"Hey, Mom?" Izuku asked as he ran to the doorway, "Did the rules Mr. Aizawa gave you say anything about having guests?"

"Guests? Inko gasped before the first happy smile since she walked into his room came to her face, "You mean you made some friends while you were gone?"

"Yeah and…" He thought about what to say for a second before continuing, "We all agreed that we would go to U.A. together so they need to know about everything that's happened. Can you check for me?" Inko's smile widened at the thought of her son having friends who shared a dream with him.

"I'd be happy to!"

* * *

**A/N: This seems like a good spot to stop for now. I'm hoping my interpretation of Aizawa is close since I'm basically guessing how he would act in this situation… though as always, I can only ask you to bear with me… **

**Reviews:**

**Shadowdragondanny: The wait is over, my friend. Unfortunately, if you're reading this, it's back on again. Them's the breaks, I'm afraid.**

**silentstrixe: Well, this is just nice to hear. Or read, I guess. I'm glad you're loving this story and I hope to keep you enjoying this story of mine!**

**Next chapter: Training and friends, what could go wrong?**

**As always, review, fav, follow and all that good stuff and I'll see you guys next time!**

**Sal out!**


	7. Ch 7: Sharing Secrets

**Ch. 7: Sharing Secrets**

Izuku woke up the next morning feeling so much better than the last several mornings. A good bed not made out of jagged springs, lumps of coal and itchy fabric can do wonders for a person. Though he wished he could have fallen asleep faster. He was too busy thinking about what All Might and Aizawa had told him on the car ride home. The new quirk. A transformation quirk by the look of it that turned him into a rage-filled monster who attacked All Might, his hero and idol like he was the reason for all his problems. After getting a good stretch, he looked at the schedule Aizawa gave him.

'_8 A.M.: Quirk Training,' _Izuku read to himself, but noticed something peculiar about the "schedule" he was handed, _'Every other time slot is sleep, eat or study. I guess he's not wrong since I'm not allowed to leave under specific circumstances. Though didn't the agreement say that Mom could let me leave?'_ He then read the rules on the opposite side of the sheet, _'Izuku is forbidden from leaving his house without supervision from his mother, a member of the police, or Shota Aizawa (Eraserhead). He also may not leave Musutafu for any non-school related reasons. Oh. So, yes but no then-'_ Izuku rolled his eyes before he noticed at the bottom of the page the name of the probation officer in charge of him, "Naomasa Tsukauchi…" _'The detective from my interrogation is also my probation officer? Why him? He wasn't there when I was released and no one said anything…'_ he read through the rules again though most of it was the same, he noticed a new one, _'Legal guardian and Izuku must meet with probation officer twice a month and relay all information regarding Izuku's activities including, but not limited to, all times he has left the house. Izuku is also required to write down his actions in the Event Notebook provided to him to be handed over when requested… "Notebook"? _What_ notebook?!'_

Izuku walked over to the duffel back full of his school supplies for his studying and found a green pocket notebook on top labeled "Event Notebook". _'Gee, thanks, Aizawa… The least you could do was _tell_ me any of this! He probably just assumed I'd be smart enough to read this and figured it would be a waste of time to just tell me. What a pal.'_

Izuku got dressed for the day before slipping the pocket notebook in his… well, pocket. The clock by his bed said 6:30 A.M. so there was still a lot of time before he had to leave so he figured he'd look around his new home. It was a small two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with a living room and a kitchen. The basic necessities of a home, more or less and that was even reflected in the furniture of the home… or lack thereof. There was no couch, no TV, no decorations, just a table and a couple chairs. _'Considering a few days ago, my mom didn't even know I was alive, it's likely the move back here was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Maybe more will arrive soon from the States,'_ Izuku walked into the kitchen to find something to eat, settling on a colorful All Might themed breakfast cereal his mother must have picked out that made Izuku nearly laugh at the sight of it. _'I'd ask how she knew what cereal to get me but, knowing my four-year-old self, I'd be shocked if I ate _anything else_.'_

Izuku poured himself a bowl of All Might cereal and fetched himself one of the textbooks he was supposed to study from and found a study guide pertaining to the relevant subject on what he was supposed to do to get himself ready for the Entrance Exam's test and with Nezu's signature at the bottom, he could tell who did this for him. _'And here I thought I was being left for dead here with Aizawa… at least _someone's_ trying to help.'_ Izuku followed the math study guide as best he could while eating, solving problem after problem that was asked of him until the doorbell rang. He looked up at the clock to see it was eight. _'Aizawa's here. It's time to figure out this new quirk of mine.' _Izuku walked to the door but stopped and ran to his room first. He was given back his quirk notebooks and he'd need to make a new entry soon. After finding the one about his quirks, he ran to the door to see Aizawa standing there looking very impatient, dressed far more casually than yesterday, in slacks and a jacket.

"Thirty-two seconds to answer the door," Aizawa said with a glare, "I thought I made it clear that you need to take this seriously."

"Sorry, I was studying and I lost track of time and then I needed to grab my quirk book since we're training so I'll need to write down what I learn about my new quirk." Izuku quickly explained, nervous under Aizawa's gaze. He didn't even notice that Eri was there too.

"Big bro!" Eri shouted as she ran up and latched onto Izuku, "You're okay! You were gone for so long, I thought something bad happened to you!" She looked up and Izuku could see tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry about that Eri but I promise it won't happen again," Izuku patted Eri on the head with his right hand. "This time, I'm not going anywhere!"

"Except that she's not staying with you for a multitude of reasons," Captain Moment Killer A.K.A. Aizawa clarified, "But at least I can tell you weren't lying about studying." Izuku became confused by this statement.

"How can you tell?"

"You've got pencil marks on your right hand," Izuku turned his hand over to see that there were black pencil marks from his writing. Aizawa turned and walked towards the stairwell, "Let's move, you two. We've got a lot of work to do and four months to do it."

Izuku took Eri's hand and followed after Aizawa as the trio walked to Dagobah Beach. It was still early morning so the sun hadn't risen yet and it was still dark, only being lit by the lights of the city. Izuku took in the early morning atmosphere but there were a few things Izuku decided couldn't wait so he spoke up, "Aizawa, why is Detective Tsukauchi my probation officer? Isn't that job beneath him?"

"Because he volunteered," Aizawa stated bluntly

"Volunteered? Why would he want to volunteer for something like this?"

"Considering your situation, the answer should be obvious," Izuku thought about it for a brief moment before responding.

"It's in case Mom would let me do something she shouldn't let me do, right?"

"Technically, we've got all our bases covered in regards to you and your movements. Your tracker can even detect you using your quirks in any way, shape or form, though we lack the context of the situation. However, Tsukauchi seems interested in you for some reason so he's decided to personally be informed on your development. It _does_ make sense though when you consider all the factors."

"Like?"

"Classified."

"Right," Izuku sighed at the obvious avoidance though he knew he couldn't get past it.

"You made sure to bring the notebook, right?"

"Yeah, about that," Izuku readied himself, "Thanks for not telling me about it."

"I told you about it. Did you forget how to read?"

"That doesn't count," Izuku retorted dryly. Eri was starting to get a little scared at the argument.

"Yes, it does," Aizawa countered calmly as the entrance to the beach came into view, not turning around to look at Izuku at all, "I told you what was on that piece of paper. I merely expected you to read the rules we set up for you. I didn't _say it_ to you because I didn't have to say it. The rules were laid out for you, plain as day. It's _your _responsibility now and if _you_ can't deal with it, _I_ can make a phone call and we can be done with this circus right now."

Izuku could remember Tai telling him something similar. _'The world is full of people with different personalities, different backgrounds, and different experiences. Everyone moves through life in different ways that make sense to them so we, as individuals, must be ready to adapt to anything that others might do lest we get caught off-guard and are unable to recover.'_

'_I guess I never did take Tai's words to heart as I thought I did… or maybe I just forgot along the way…' _Izuku took a deep breath to calm down before letting it out. "No… you're right. I'm sorry," Izuku replied in a quiet voice, "I'm out of line…"

"Don't be sorry, be better. 'Sorry' is a pointless word if you don't back it up and change," Izuku could tell that Aizawa was trying to help him in his own way... It was just a shame that way was being a colossal pain in the ass. This situation was his fault and he shouldn't be complaining since the alternative was much, _much_ worse. _'Sorry kid, but you've been too free to break whatever rules that were in your way and you need to know that won't fly anymore.' _

Izuku took a quick look around to see the beach completely deserted as the three walked onto the beach except for a lone, familiar blond man sitting on a cooler.

"Ah, Aizawa, Young Midoriya," Yagi waved to the three as he saw them approach, "And it's nice to see you again, Young Eri,"

"You're the weird looking man from before," Eri said innocently, causing Yagi to cough up a little blood in surprise.

"Don't mince words, huh? You really are like Midoriya," Yagi coughed a little more before standing up from the cooler.

"What's in the cooler?" Izuku asked, getting a laugh out of Yagi.

"Water, of course!" Yagi spoke in a facsimile of his All Might persona, like he was making a sales pitch, "You can't train without proper hydration or you'll never get anything done!" Yagi opened it up to show a cooler full of about twelve or so water bottles sitting in ice. Yagi handed Izuku and Eri one each before Aizawa spoke up.

"So, here's how this is going to go: First, since you'll be spending a large chunk of time indoors, I figured it would be a good idea to make sure you keep in shape. Can't have you showing up weakened from lack of exercise. You'll stretch, run from here to one end of the beach, to the other, and then back here again. That should be a good warm up," Izuku nodded and walked to a clearing away from the group. Aizawa turned to Eri, "Now while we wait, we might as well get started on your training,"

"I'll keep tabs on Young Midoriya," Yagi offered as he started walking away towards the middle of the beach, "I doubt I'll be of much help with her training," As Yagi walked away, Aizawa looked down at Eri, who was starting to shake with fear.

'_I'm no counselor so this might be harder than I thought,'_ Aizawa took a deep breath before kneeling down to Eri's level, "So, are you ready?" Eri shook her head rapidly, "Alright, why don't you tell me why?"

"I'm… I'm scared…" Aizawa had to keep a calm poker face and a gentle, lest his annoyance break through.

'_Yes, thank you. I hadn't noticed,'_ "I promise you; everything will be fine. No one's going to get hurt today. I'll tell you what, if everything goes fine, I'll get you a bag of Recovery Girl's gummies," Eri's eyes lit up at the offer, before she nodded with a smile. Aizawa stood back and allowed Eri some room. "Okay, first lesson: Turning your quirk on." Eri nodded with a determined look on her face though it didn't help the underlying problem, _'Now… how do we even do that?'_

* * *

With great difficulty apparently. After about an hour of various methods of mental ignition (thoughts of people she cares about, her father, willing the quirk to activate, desiring to rewind something, etc.), Eri showed no sign of activating her quirk or doing… much of anything really. She just held her arms out in front of her like she was pushing an invisible wall. Aizawa sighed and rubbed his eyes as he realized this wasn't going anywhere.

'_It's possible that Rewind can't turn on unless she's in contact with a "living being". It's not one she can just turn on or off without a specific set of circumstances. Or she could be suffering from a mental block from what happened with her father and possible abuse from Overhaul and she can't get through it, even if she wants to. We might need to take out a tree for this one. I'll get All Might to buy a potted plant or something,'_ Aizawa heard a small whine coming from Eri, bringing his attention to her. She looked almost as scared as before.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Aizawa…" Eri didn't look at him and seemed tense, almost like she was waiting for something. Aizawa's years as a teacher and as a hero, recognized it for what it was.

She was afraid that _he_ was angry with her. The signs of abuse were still there but at least Aizawa had an idea where they were coming from. Izuku was too loving and protective of her so that just left Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai. Aizawa had to hide his disgust for the Yakuza or he might make the problem worse. He walked over to her slowly and watched as she became stiffer and more fearful as he approached until he placed a hand gently on her head.

"Eri, I'm not mad or even disappointed. You did fine today," Eri finally turned to look at him, now surprised that she wasn't being reprimanded for failing, "We're not in any rush here. We'll take this as slow as we need to."

"Really?"

"I'll tell you what, it's a bit out of season but I'll get you an ice cream later for trying so hard," Eri's fear fled her face as it was replaced with eager joy.

"Really?!" Aizawa nodded before standing back up and motioned for her to follow.

"We'll call it a day for you. I need to rethink our approach for tomorrow," Aizawa walked over to Yagi and Izuku as they were finishing another set of push-ups. "Alright, Midoriya, finish up so we can get to the real deal," Izuku picked himself off the ground and stood in front of Aizawa as he tried to catch his breath. "Now we need to identify the exact trigger for your quirk… and maybe give it a name so we can easily refer to it. 'The new quirk', has overstayed its welcome," Aizawa calmly pulled out his phone and began to type a few words before stopping. Izuku had his hand on his chin as he thought.

'_A name for this new quirk… I thought about it yesterday night and I think I'll hold off on naming it until I know what it _actually_ does,'_ Izuku looked up to Aizawa before shaking his head, causing the teacher to put his phone in sleep mode before putting it away.

"Now Detective Tsukauchi mentioned your eyes flashed red at the interrogation so I believe the most obvious trigger is to get you angry enough that it just kicks on," Aizawa stated as Yagi started to lead Eri to the minimum safe distance. It would be bad to be too close to Izuku should something go wrong.

"So just, will myself to be angry?" Izuku said skeptically as he thought about how he was going to get this to work.

"My best advice is to think back to when you first used it back in Hosu. You were able to remember what led up to the transformation so you may be able to replicate it if you relive the experience in your head."

'_Relive the experience, huh?'_ Izuku closed his eyes as he remembered that night. The nomus, Shigaraki and Kurogiri, the beating of his heart in his ears, the anger he felt at them for what they did to him, what they did to Tai, and what they did to all the people that became those monsters. Just as it all flowed back to him...

***thump thump***... ***Thump Thump***... ***THump THump***... ***THUmp THUmp THUMp THUMp THUMP THUMP***

Izuku could feel his heartbeat increase in pace, becoming deafening in his ears; his blood felt like it was boiling as his whole body went hot like he was on fire. Izuku opened in now red eyes and let the power out as he grasped his chest where his heart was.

"GraaaaAAAA**AAAH!**" Izuku let out a roar as his blood red fiery aura burst to life, though no lightning like before. Izuku began to gasp heavily as he looked at the ground and began to realize something that was different, "**I've… I've got control…?**" His voice had the echo though it sounded like it was only one voice, Izuku's voice, not the legion of voices from before.

"Interesting…" Aizawa mumbled as Izuku looked up to the pro who seemed completely unfazed by what was happening in front of him. Unbeknownst to Izuku, Aizawa was looking at the only other part of his transformation that was still missing: His hair was still green… or at least mostly green. Starting from the roots, it was slowly making its way towards the ends. Aizawa started counting the seconds in his head, seeing how long it took for the red to completely overtake the green. _'Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty…' _And then…

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**" Izuku's eyes shifted from confused to pained as he let out another roar. Izuku's second roar was far more beastly than his first as Aizawa took in the changes to Izuku. The aura was now much larger and was burning with a greater ferocity as the crimson lightning returned with a vengeance. Izuku opened his now furious eyes again but didn't get to even move before Aizawa erased his quirk and Izuku, like that night, dropped like a stone to the sand, unconscious. Aizawa then began to count again, this time out loud as he watched the red hair begin to seep back.

"Six… seven… eight…"

"Big bro!" Eri ran up to Izuku before falling to her knees beside him and started to shake him, netting no response, not even a groan. Yagi quickly caught up to the little girl who could run surprisingly fast for a five-year-old.

"Don't worry," Yagi said as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the now teary-eyed girl, "He'll be fine in a bit. We just need to give him a moment," Yagi put on his most confident smile, though deep down, he wished he could be in his All Might form to really sell that confidence. Yagi put a hand to Izuku's throat to make sure he still had a pulse. He'd let out a sigh but that might clue Eri in that he wasn't confident in his words. The two listened in on Aizawa's counting, no doubt, waiting to see how long it would take Midoriya to recover.

"One twenty-two… one twenty-three… One twenty-four…" At the sound of the last number, Izuku's hair lost the last of the red and his eyes flew open and he shot up from the sand before becoming disoriented and falling back down again. He eventually settled for rolling onto his back as he groaned.

"Ugh… I feel horrible…"

"Well, this was certainly informational," Aizawa dryly admitted as he handed Izuku his water bottle, "Drink up and then get ready to write in that notebook you love so much," Izuku had to really push himself to sit up, and needed extra help from Yagi so he could lean his back against the cooler, as all of his muscles were sore now as if he did a full body workout and then did another one just because. If he could remember back to after the incident when he was being taken to the police station, he felt the same soreness then too as he had to be dragged to the interrogation room. Izuku downed the water bottle before pulling out his notebook and warping a pencil to his hand. Aizawa explained as best he could what he witnessed: The one minute, his hair changing color, the double time it took him to wake back up, his voice, the aura, the lightning, everything he could make note of as Izuku furiously wrote everything down before he read it over to himself. He then realized something else that was different than before.

"I… could remember everything that happened," Izuku stated as he looked up from his seated position as Eri brought him another bottle of water to chug down.

"That's definitely different from before since you said it was like you were drowning in boiling water while completely unaware of what was going on," Yagi recalled.

"But that's not the only thing that was different," Aizawa began, "You had control of it, for a very brief period, but control nonetheless," Izuku nodded his head as he looked at what he wrote down again, trying to make some sense of it, "No matter how you look at it, it's unnatural how quickly you're adapting to its power, almost as if you're mutating to accommodate it. No one improves this much in less than a week in only two tries."

"So, what does that mean?" Izuku asked.

"Either you've had some control all along and failed to mention it or even notice it," Aizawa said as he stared down Izuku who made his gaze nervously, "Or there's something affecting your ability to control it that we haven't isolated yet," Aizawa took a deep breath before looking at the time. It was still early but he took one look at Izuku and made his decision, "Midoriya, we're done for today,"

"Already?" Izuku looked over towards the horizon as the sun was just now getting up itself.

"Look at yourself," Aizawa gestured to the sitting form of Izuku, "You can barely stand, much less train and that's from one use. I'm not anxious to see what happens after two."

"I'm fin-whoa!" Izuku tried to stand using the cooler to steady himself before nearly falling over again, only stopped by Yagi. Izuku looked at the ground, embarrassed and defeated, "Okay, never mind…"

"We'll take him to Recovery Girl," Yagi suggested, "She needed to see him anyway,"

"See me for what?"

* * *

U.A. High. The most prestigious hero school in Japan that produced legendary heroes like All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeniest, and so many more. A symbol of excellence as mighty as… well, All Might. Izuku was now inside these same walls and he'd love every second of it…

If it were under better circumstances...

"Don't tense up!" Recovery Girl shouted as she prepared a syringe, "It'll only hurt more!" She steadily injected Izuku and pushed down the plunger.

"Ow!" Izuku yelped, causing Eri next to him to jump slightly.

"See? Now we've only got four more to go,"

"Four?! We've already done two!"

"According to your medical records, all of your shots are out of date and we've got nothing on you as 'Seigo Saichirou' so it's obvious you haven't had any," Izuku groaned as he leaned back into the bed but he was drawn back to Recovery Girl by her chuckling, "Oh and I was kidding about the extra shots," Izuku looked up from the bed as he realized he'd been duped, "We can only put in one per arm so we'll take a break for now but next week, you'll be getting your next two," Recovery Girl said with a smile before placing a bandage on Izuku's arm and some candy in his hand as well as some for Eri. Aizawa and Yagi walked back into the room, finished with whatever it was they were doing.

"He's done then?" Aizawa asked as Yagi walked over to Izuku.

"For now, anyway," Recovery Girl walked back to her desk and picked up a clipboard, "So, in regards to the examination, what exactly did you make him do?"

"We had him do some basic exercises for about an hour, which he did without being that out of breath, before we worked on his quirk that we still haven't got a name for,"

"I'm still thinking," Izuku remarked.

"Think harder," Aizawa fired back, "After his first use, we came here,"

"How bad's the damage?" Yagi asked as he took a seat next to Izuku.

"I'm not sure," Recovery Girl stated bluntly, "The wear and tear on his body has almost completely disappeared. It's almost as if his body is healing it faster than normal,"

"So, what, does he have a regenerating quirk, too?" Recovery Girl just shrugged.

"Possibly but not a very strong one. He won't be regenerating a lost limb or anything like that. With this boy, nothing impossible,"

"Midoriya, whenever you worked out, did you ever feel sore the next morning?"

"Um…" Izuku thought about it for about a minute before shaking his head, "I don't think so," he was also starting to look sleepy but no one said anything.

"So, it's possible," Yagi noted, "But it doesn't change the fact that he could barely move after using it."

"His body probably isn't used to the massive influx of power and the obvious result happened," Aizawa looked over to Izuku who was starting to nod off. He motioned for Yagi to take Eri out.

"Come along, Young Eri," Yagi held his hand out for her to take, "We still owe you an ice cream,"

"Will Bro be okay?" she said as Izuku finally passed out.

'_She must have noticed something's off,'_ "Don't worry. Recovery Girl will make sure he's the picture of health! Now, let's get you that ice cream!" Eri took Yagi's hand as the two left, leaving the two heroes with the unconscious Izuku.

"Now for the most important shot," Aizawa spoke quietly as he made sure Izuku was asleep. The first shot he received was actually an extra strong sedative instead of a vaccine. He couldn't know what was about to happen, "He's out cold."

"Right," Recovery Girl reached into a drawer and pulled out something resembling a nail gun, "I wish we didn't have to put a tracker under his skin but it is what it is,"

"We can't trust him yet," Aizawa spoke as Recovery Girl swabbed Izuku's neck and stamped the tracker under his skin, "The foot tracker can be removed by his quirk so it's less than useful long term. This is to make sure if he goes rogue, we can easily find and stop him."

"Have you ever considered having faith for once?" Recovery Girl said with a scowl as she put the tracker injector back in its drawer.

"He hasn't done a thing that's worthy of 'faith'," Aizawa countered as he left the room.

* * *

Izuku was back home before noon and he felt like crap. His body wasn't as sore anymore but now his neck hurt like hell and he couldn't even figure out why. Oh, and now he might have _another _quirk_._ Great. Just what he needed. Izuku walked into his living to see that there was now furniture. A couch, coffee table, a TV, the works.

"Oh, Izuku," Inko called from the kitchen, smiling as she turned into the living room, "The moving company delivered our stuff while you were gone."

"I see that," Izuku said with a smile. He hadn't had a TV since he lived with Tai so it was a nice change. It'll be a nice distraction if he needs a break, "How are you feeling?"

"Jet lag's still there and I still feel groggy. I just got out of bed an hour ago when the truck arrived," Inko walked up and gave her son a quick hug, "There's also a few things in your room that I made sure to bring back for you," Inko said as she walked past Izuku to his room. He followed and saw that his room now had a desk with a computer as well as a single box sitting on the floor. Izuku opened the box to see a few pieces of All Might merchandise, including a very familiar action figure. "I figured you'd want them back,"

"You kept them?"

"I couldn't get rid of any of it," Inko admitted with a sad smile, "It would be like admitting you were gone forever," Izuku stood up and wrapped his mom in a hug that she returned.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Don't mention it, sweetie," the two unwrapped each other before she continued, "So, when will your friends be over?"

"They said they'd be here by six. I'd go get them but none of them live in Musutafu and Ochako lives _way_ out in the country,"

"I still can't believe my son has a girlfriend," Inko teased, taking Izuku aback.

"I told you yesterday that it's not like that, Mom!" Izuku cried defensively.

"I'll be the judge of that when she arrives," a timer in the kitchen went off, signaling Inko to go check on it, leaving Izuku alone with his box of memories. He took all the merch out and put a couple of posters up, set up the few action figures he had on the desk, he even had an All Might alarm clock. With his room starting to look more lived in, he got back to preparing for the entrance exam, only stopping to eat dinner.

It was a little past six when the doorbell rang. Izuku shot up from his desk and ran to the door to greet his friends, only to be surprised to see who arrived first… and alone. Ochako, arm in a cast and sling, with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry I'm late," she feverishly scratched the back of her head before looking past Izuku, "Did Tsu and Minoru show up yet?"

"No, actually," Izuku thought before his thought was cut off by Ochako pulling him into a hug, nearly stopping his heart and causing every single muscle in his body to seize up. _'She's hugging me… Why is she hugging me?!'_ She quickly realized what she was doing and pulled out of the hug, face beat red.

"Sorry… It's just that I heard about what happened from Tsu when the police came by to pick up Eri… she wasn't told why you were arrested and I just got so worried about what was going to happen to you or Eri and… It's just nice to see you're okay..." Izuku could see the tears at the corners of her eyes. He tended to make the people around him cry a lot lately.

"Yeah… It's been a long week," Izuku stepped aside to let Ochako into the humble apartment and let her take her shoes off.

"No kidding," Ochako chuckled as motioned to her injured arm, "For you _and_ for me,"

"Yeah, I was going to ask about that, what the hell happened?" Izuku asked as he closed the door.

"Heh heh…" She chuckled nervously, "I'll explain one Tsu and Minoru get here," Ochako shivered a bit as the warmth of the apartment started to run down her back, "Ooh, it's nice in here," Ochako walked into the living room to see Inko walking out of the kitchen with a plate of baked snacks.

"Well, hello there!" Inko greeted warmly, "You must be one of Izuku's friends,"

'_Izuku? Is she talking about Seigo?' _"Yes, ma'am! I'm Ochako Uraraka-oh, chocolate!" Ochako squeed as she reached forward, "Can I have some?"

"Of course, have as much as you like!" Ochako quickly picked five brownies off the tray onto a plate before starting to devour one.

"Just save some for the rest of us," Izuku joked as he grabbed a cookie. Ochako quickly swallowed her murdered brownie before glaring at Izuku.

"Hey, I've been on a strict diet for six months now," Ochako pointed out before picking up another brownie, "I think I earn a little self-indulgence," Izuku felt his mother pull him aside.

"Are you sure you're not dating?"

"Mom!" Izuku angrily whispered.

"I'm just saying, most girls don't just run up and hug someone like she did," Inko winked before walking back over to Ochako to receive compliments on her cooking.

'_She was spying too?!'_ Izuku face palmed before sighing, _'Of course she did, she's my mom…'_ Izuku, Ochako and Inko talked some more before the doorbell rang again. Izuku walked to the door and saw Tsuyu and a very annoyed Minoru.

"Sorry we're late," Tsuyu pointed at Minoru, "I had to drag him kicking and screaming here," Minoru simply looked away towards nothing.

"I'm still angry with you," Minoru spoke with a hint of venom in his voice, but was stopped before continuing by an emerging Ochako.

"We've got baked treats in here," Ochako called out from around the corner.

"Oh, free food!" Minoru shouted with glee as he threw his shoes off to get the goods.

"He's lying by the way," Tsuyu explained as she walked in, "The whole way here, he wouldn't stop crying about how happy he was that you were still alive like you were in danger of dying or something," Tsuyu walked into the kitchen to join the others, leaving a nervous Izuku at the door.

"Hahaha," he laughed that wasn't at all forces, "I wonder what gave him that idea..." After about fifteen minutes of hanging out, the four friends relocated to Izuku's room to talk.

"So, I take it you're going to explain everything," Tsuyu began, "Because you gave us a hell of a scare when we found out about your arrest,"

"Right, first is my name," Izuku took a deep breath before continuing, "My real name is actually Izuku Midoriya, not Seigo Saichirou."

"Oh, that's right! Your mom called you 'Izuku'," Ochako pieced together, "I was so confused when she called you that."

"And there's also this…" Izuku began to explain everything he'd been up to for the past few years. Tai's death, his murder and the culprits, his actions as Noh that eventually got him arrested, each and every one of his quirks, Nezu's deal and his probation, everything that was relevant in as brief a fashion as possible. After almost an hour of just explaining what was going on, Minoru finally spoke.

"Thank god it's finally over," Minoru said with almost a sigh of relief, "No more Noh nonsense!"

"You knew?!" Tsuyu and Ochako both looked at Minoru with shock and a hint of betrayal from the two boys.

"I noticed that Sei-" He cleared his throat at the wrong name, annoyed, "_Izuku's_ tags for Targeted Warp were the same as the ones found at a few of the Noh crime scenes whenever photos of them showed up online. There's also the fact that for a hobo, he seemed surprisingly well off in terms of cash so I figured he had to be getting it somehow. He might have been good at hiding it from others like heroes and the police but he's garbage at hiding it from us."

"He figured it out on his own so there wasn't a reason to hide anything," Izuku clarified, "I never told him and then just decided not to tell you two,"

"To be honest, I always felt like you were hiding something," Tsu began, "I still feel like we should have been told, especially since all you ever told me was that your dad was murdered because someone was looking for you," Tsuyu explained, her tone slightly angry, "Do you know how painful it is to know that your friend was off breaking the law to find a murderer while you had to sit in the dark and wonder what he was going to do with himself? To know that he doesn't trust you to keep a secret? You could have died and we would've never known," Izuku rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before looking at Ochako, who was looking at her cast with a look of… shame?

"I'm sorry for not trusting you guys and I'm sorry to you Minoru for ignoring you when you said it was a bad idea to go after All For One," Izuku sighed, "I was an idiot and I'm sorry,"

"No, you _are_ an idiot," Minoru corrected as he stood up from the floor he was sitting before walking over to Izuku, "Which is why you'll need us to stick with you," Izuku let out a small gasp of surprise, "Let's face it, all those quirks of yours and you'd probably still die without us," he added with a smirk.

"I'm not ready to forgive you yet for keeping us in the dark and almost getting yourself killed but I'll give you a chance to earn it," Tsuyu said with a smile. The two looked to Ochako who seemed to not be paying attention.

"Ocha?" Ochako was ripped from her thoughts at Tsuyu calling her name.

"Huh? What?" Ochako quickly surveyed the faces of her friends who were looking at her with varying levels of concern, "Sorry, I was just thinking about what Tsu was saying,"

"What I was saying?"

"That Izuku didn't trust us because he wouldn't tell us what he was doing… and I realized that I kinda fall under that umbrella as well," Izuku's eyes widened as he realized what she was about to say.

"Ochako, don't," Izuku tried to stop her but she held up her hand.

"No more secrets between us," Ochako stated with determination, "You were willing to tell us everything, even about that… I don't know, 'Rage Shroud'... thing and I can't sit and watch you tell us everything and not do the same about… what happened to me,"

"But it's not just _your_ secret!" Izuku countered.

"No, it's not but please, I want us to believe in each other and not be suspicious of each other anymore. I even asked him if it was okay so it should be fine since I trust you guys," Ochako then gave a sheepish look, "I was also going to ask you guys for help with… my new problem?"

"What, your period?" Minoru asked before Tsu slapped him with her tongue, causing him to rock like a bobble head, "Sorry, it slipped out."

"Maybe you should just start from the beginning," Izuku suggested as he rubbed his forehead, "They'll understand better that way,"

"Right," Ochako agreed with a nod.

* * *

"You want to go to Musutafu?" Seigo asked as he ran his hand through his currently gray hair that would more easily match Eri's while he and Ochako walked down the street of Ochako's hometown. Both of them were in tracksuits of green with white lines and black with white shoulders and red lines respectfully as they prepared to start their workout together.

"We're both planning on going to U.A. next year and I want to see it in person, at least once," Ochako admitted as Seigo led her down an out of sight area. The two took a quick look around for anyone around, "Coast Is clear, Sei," she said as she placed a hand on Seigo's shoulder.

"Looks like it," Seigo agreed as Bio Scanner was running a negative, "Musutafu it is," with a pop, the two were instantly on an abandoned rooftop in Musutafu.

"Wow, you can even see U.A. from here!" Ochako pointed to the structure at the top of the hill. With a giant wall running for about several kilometers around and at least twenty meters tall, it would ordinarily be difficult to see much of U.A. but the main building was clearly visible. "So, I take it we're going to jog there?"

"We could but there's also a beach nearby that I found that would make a good training ground if you want to see it,"

"A beach? Wouldn't it be full of people come summer," Ochako asked as she began her stretches.

"You won't think that when you see it," Seigo, after finishing his stretching, walked towards the edge of the building towards an alley to see no one down there. He dropped a marked pebble down before Ochako placed her hand back on his shoulder to be warped down, "Follow me, we'll run there," Ochako nodded as she followed Seigo… and followed… and followed… and followed for what seemed like an hour.

"Sei, couldn't you have picked... a better starting point?" Ochako cried between gasps of air as she tried to keep up with Seigo… who was around fifty meters ahead of her.

"Come on, Ochako," Seigo yelled back with a laugh, "We got to get in shape if we want to be heroes!"

"You're already in shape! You've got a six pack for crying out loud!" She whined as she started to slow down to a stop underneath an overpass, "I've only been training a few months and we never did a 5K... give me a break here," Seigo laughed harder as he started walking to her with a water bottle he warped into his hand when no one was looking. Just then, Bio Scanner went off as a mass of green slime and sewage started to seep out of a manhole cover behind Ochako.

"Ochako! Behind you!" Seigo shouted as he rushed forward with Body Burst on. He cursed the fact he didn't have his friend tagged.

"What?!" Ochako turned to see the mass of sludge and gunk form teeth and eyes as it towered above her, almost reaching the ceiling.

"You'll be a perfect skin suit to hide in!" The villain tackled Ochako and before Seigo could get close enough to warp her away, he was smacked by the villain and launched down the street, "Don't worry, this will only hurt for a bit!" he claimed as he forced himself down her throat and nose.

"Ochako!" Seigo picked himself up and ran again to try and warp the villain away this time. _'I can't afford to leave any tags here or a hero might realize I'm Noh,' _he quickly summoned a few pebbles to his hand and dropped one on the ground.

'_I… can't breathe…'_ Ochako attempted to use her quirk on anything, but it didn't matter as all it did was move the sludge monster to the ceiling rather than the ground, causing Seigo to miss again and almost got slammed into the concrete by the monster, having warped back to the pebble to try again.. Ochako could feel tears running down her face at her helplessness, _'Seigo... please… I don't want to die…"_ Seigo was about to close in again but was halted by a loud bang coming from the other side of the tunnel.

"**Have no fear, you both safe,**" Everyone immediately recognized the voice. It was All Might stepping out of the manhole in a t-shirt and cargo pants holding a bag of… groceries? "**Now that I am here that is!**" The sludge monster immediately threw a gooey arm to attack but All Might dodged it with ease. Another was sent but All Might reeled back to let the villain have it. "**Texas…**" Seigo knew what was coming and immediately warped backwards, not just to evade the blow, "**SMASH!**" All Might's smash sent a huge current of wind down the tunnel, destroying the sludge villain in one blow and free Ochako who fell right into Seigo's arms as he caught her. Seigo quickly lowered her to the ground to check on her.

"Ochako! Ochako! Are you okay?!" He placed a hand to her neck to feel a pulse before placing a finger beneath her nose. He let out a sigh afterwards. She was still breathing but she wasn't conscious anymore. He turned to look at All Might as he was busy scrapping the villain into two bottles. Normally he'd be fanboying but right now… he was too worried for his friend to care. He heard a cough coming from Ochako as she started to stir.

"What… happened?" she asked before immediately turning over to vomit.

"You were attacked by a body-snatching slime monster," Seigo stated matter-of-factually.

"Oh, gross-urk!" she shouted, disgusted as she continued to vomit, "The taste! It's never coming out!" she cried as she hacked. Seigo just looked at his friend with a relieved smile.

"**Well, you two seem to be alright!**" All Might declared as he walked over, "**Sorry about that back there. I didn't mean to get you two caught up in my justicing. Usually I pay more attention to keeping bystanders safe, but it turns out this city's sewer system is pretty difficult to navigate! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**" Ochako was in a state of star-struck awe while Seigo was a slightly less so, making sure to warp the pebbles he used back to his hand so All Might wouldn't see them, "**Anyway, you two were a big help!**" All Might produced two large bottles carrying the remains of the sludge monster, "**I've captured the evildoer!**" Seigo couldn't tell how he should feel looking at the dismembered corpse of a villain that had just tried to kill his friend. All Might turned away and let out a cough, getting blood on the hero's hand._ 'Shit,'_ All Might quickly refocused on the two teens, "**Welp, I've got to get this guy to the police so they can take care of him,**" All Might haphazardly shoved the two bottles into his pants pockets before he turned around, waving the two off, "**Stay out of trouble, see you two around!**"

"Wait-" All Might, without hesitating, launched himself into the air towards the city, "I wanted your autograph…" Seigo mumbled dejectedly. He helped Ochako up before he got an idea. "We're going after him!"

"What?!" Ochako looked at her crazy friend's eyes

"I missed my chance for an autograph! I don't know when I'll have the chance again!" There was also something he needed to ask him. Seigo placed a hand on her shoulder before warping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction that All Might flew in, using Bio Scanner to track him. Seigo knew that tagging as many rooftops as possible would come in handy someday. After the sixth warp, Seigo hit pay dirt. Seigo had his tags out of sight so no one would see him if he used them so All Might didn't notice them as he picked himself up from his landing and let out a sigh.

"Hey, All Might!" Seigo cried out. All Might panicked expression was only visible for less than a second before it vanished in a puff of smoke, surprising both Seigo and Ochako. Before rocking their whole world. In All Might's place was an emasicated man in All Might's clothes that were far too big for him. Seigo couldn't see his eyes before but now the icy blue of his were now clearly visible and his famous bangs were now hanging limply in front of his face. If Bio Scanner wasn't telling Seigo that this was still All Might, he wouldn't have believed it.

"A-All Might?" Seigo could only mutter his words but Ochako had him covered.

"What happened to you?!" Ochako screamed as she tried to process what was happening. All Might sighed but as he did, a huge amount of blood flowed from his mouth as he did, causing Ochako to scream again and Seigo to grimace. "Are… are you really All Might?"

"Yes, I am All Might," Ochako near fainted but Seigo caught her before tapping her on the head to restart her brain. "You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing and trying to look buff? I'm like that?"

"What? How?! _Why?!_" Seigo began before Ochako rocketed back off of him to face All Might with a determined look.

"I have so many questions!" Ochako couldn't seem to keep her voice down anymore as All Might sat down next to a railing.

"I'm trusting you two to keep your mouth shut. Don't go talking about this online or telling your friends," All Might pulled his shirt up to show the two his stomach… or where it was supposed to be. On his left side was lines of scars flowing into a central one that looked just like a hole had been punched through him. Ochako, started dry heaving, having nothing left in her stomach to barf up while Seigo just looked on in shock at the gruesome injury. "Pretty gross right? I got this in a big fight five years back,"

'_Five years?'_ Seigo thought for a second before All Might continued.

"My respiratory system is basically destroyed and I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out and it can't be fixed," Seigo then thought about Eri and how she could rewind people… but he put that thought down. He couldn't reveal what she could do, not even to All Might, "Right now I can only do hero work for about three hours a day and the rest of the time, this is what I look like," Seigo and Ochako were speechless as they listened to All Might talk but he wasn't finished, "Now it's my turn to ask you how you caught up with me," Seigo immediately realized how dumb his plan was. Of course, he would ask how he managed to keep up with the Number One Hero. However, before Seigo could explain anything, an explosion from nearby drew their attention. All Might looked down to his pockets and noticed that he was missing the bottles.

"How was I so careless?!" All Might threw open the door leading downstairs and left the two alone.

"Dammit, I forgot about the autograph again!"

"Forget the autograph, we should go check it out!" Ochako suggested, "It has to be the sludge villain from earlier!"

"You mean the one that almost _killed you_?! Why?! We'll only get in the way!" Seigo countered.

"Then you'll just get us out of the way if that happens!" Ochako held out a hand to Seigo, who looked at it with a look like she was the crazy one now. He sighed before taking her hand and warping them closer to the chaos. The two sprinted until they found the alley full of fire and smoke with pro heroes doing whatever they could to fight the sludge monster. Seigo took stock of everyone involved.

"Something's off, where'd all the fire come from? None of these heroes have fire-based quirks," Seigo deduced as he had been watching the various heroes that may have become a problem in the future.

"Hang on, I think I see someone in there!" Seigo followed Ochako's finger to see a blond-haired teen struggling to get out of the slime villain.

"You picked the wrong guy to mess with!" the blond shouted as he freed his mouth, "I'm gonna send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of!" Suddenly, a massive fireball exploded out of his hands, obscuring everyone's view but did no damage to the monster.

"Well… at least that explains the fire," Seigo commented as he uncovered his ears.

"The heroes aren't moving…" Ochako whispered, drawing Seigo's attention back to the heroes. Kamui Woods was too busy saving civilians but couldn't get close due to him being made of wood, Backdraft was busy putting out fires, and everyone else couldn't harm the sludge monster to save the teenager. Mt. Lady had arrived on the scene but she couldn't do much at the moment.

"And I don't think they will be either," Seigo remarked.

"Isn't that the villain All Might was chasing earlier?" an onlooker noticed.

"What?! All Might?! No way, he lost, where is he?!" another shouted in surprise.

"Can't someone call him or something?"

"Seriously, why hasn't he shown up to help the heroes?" Ockako let out a quiet gasp at what the crowd was saying. She knew that All Might wasn't coming. Seigo kicked on Bio Scanner and noticed that All Might was literally standing a few meters away.

'_All Might's time limit ran out but he might still be able to help that guy... or maybe not. I could also, in theory, get the guy out but I'd risk people knowing about Targeted Warp and that might cause problems so I think I'll sit this one out,'_ Before he could move to ask him to help, Seigo noticed that Ochako had enough and ran in to help the teen.

"Ochako-" before he could run in after her, Death Arms stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Are you nuts, kid?!"

"Yeah, what it's to you?!" Seigo warped a rock into his hand and threw it to warp himself out of Death Arms' grip, shocking the Pro and the entire crowd at the display. He took off running and caught up with Ochako quickly, looking at her with a glare, "How about you: are _you_ nuts?!"

"Absolutely peanuts!" She shouted, face contorted in fear but her legs never stopped running, "What the hell am I doing?!"

"Being completely insane!" The duo saw the sludge villain throw about an attack but they quickly dodged it at the cost of being separated.

"Yeah, that's about right! I'll grab him and you warp us out!"

"Yeah, cause it worked so well the first time!"

"But this time, you've got me helping!" Seigo warped a slingshot into his hand to shoot a larger rock into the sludge villains' eye. He retaliated but he slid under the attack as Ochako leaped over it after using her Zero Gravity on herself.

All Might watched on as the two kids from earlier jumped into the fray to save the boy. He gritted his teeth as he focused on his power. _'I have to do something… no matter the cost!'_ but before he could move...

"Release!" She suddenly fell and managed to get a hand on the boy's hair as Seigo grabbed her ankle and warped all three out of there, back towards the crowd.

"There! Are you happy now?!" Seigo shouted, seemingly at Ochako but it was pretty much directed at everyone that just felt like being useless and/or stupid today, including himself. As if on cue, with his hostage gone, Mt. Lady dropped a massive stomp on the villain, defeating him instantly.

"Ugh… Nasty little booger!" she cried out as she scrapped the villain off her foot into a nearby dumpster. All Might watched on, still in his deflated form, as he saw the situation finally be brought under control, the crowd cheering the heroes. There were even a few cheering the kids and their quirks and hoped they would be heroes someday. He felt like a failure for letting this happen and the only reason it worked out… was because of two kids crazy enough to risk it all to save a life.

* * *

After all the excitement, including being berated by the pros and police for being reckless, stupid, having great quirks, having a death wish and nearly being sent to jail, Seigo and Ochako walked towards the beach as the sun set.

"Sorry about all that…" Ochako apologized as the two walked through the suburb overlooking the ocean.

"Don't worry about it," Seigo said as he patted his friend on the back, "No one died and we didn't get sent to prison so we take those, right?"

"Yeah, and we save that guy, whoever he was," Ochako smiled at the fact they helped someone even if they had to get yelled at afterwards.

"YOU DIDN'T SAVE ME!" The two turned around to see the exploding blond from before as he ran up to them, panting heavily from his sprint to catch up with them. After stopping for a second to catch his breath, he pointed at the two of them, "I was fine by myself!" He shouted, delusional to what the reality of the situation was, "You're a couple of second-rate weaklings with third-rate quirks that would be lucky to make it as rent-a-cops!" Ochako looked at him like he was some kind of nutcase that lost grip with how helpless he was back there while Seigo grabbed his head as it began to hurt. He felt like he knew this guy from… somewhere. Before he could think about it some more, the boy turned and walked away while shouting over his shoulder, "I don't owe you losers anything!"

"Wow, what's his problem?" Ochako asked, "His explosions were making everything worse back there so he was the exact opposite of 'fine', eh, Sei?" Ochako looked to Seigo who was still holding his head in his hands. "Are you okay? Did his shouting give you a headache?" she asked with concern.

"No… it's probably nothing more than a need for a nap," he said with a weak smile.

"Maybe you can show me the beach another time. It's getting really late," She pointed to the horizon to show the setting sun.

"Yeah, it's probably best we get you home before your parents find out what happe-"

"**I AM HERE!**" All Might, straight out of another path, slid to a stop in front of the two.

"All Might?!" the two cried in unison.

"Why are you here?!" All Might let out a hearty laugh at the question.

"**I always show up when I'm needed and also when I need to be somewhere! And that somewhere is right he-**plewwww!" All Might, try as he might, let loose a slew of blood as he reverted back to his small form, causing the two teenagers to shriek at the bloodshed. "I need to talk with you both about what happened back there,"

"Great, he's here to scold us too…" Seigo muttered with a sigh.

"No, I'm not. I came here to thank you," the two looked at All Might with surprise before he continued, "I was sloppy today because I was worrying about my time limit and it almost cost that young man his life. I was there when you two ran in, being nothing more than a helpless bystander, too weak to do anything. Young man, young lady, you both inspired me to act, even if I didn't get the chance to. I was willing to break my time limit to help because of your actions. Let me ask you both, why did you run in there?" The two looked at each other for a few seconds as they processed the question. The both nodded before facing All Might.

"I just ran after Ochako since I thought she was going to get herself hurt," Seigo admitted, scratching his cheek bashfully. All Might shifted his gaze to Ochako who rubbed her arm sheepishly.

"I… happened to catch a glimpse of the boy's eyes," Ochako began, "and when I did, I saw in them the same thing I felt when I was being attacked by that monster…" Ochako stopped as she tried to find the words.

"What did you see?" All Might asked.

"I saw fear of death… and when I saw it, I just took off," Ochako shook her head before looking at All Might with a fierce look of determination, "I couldn't stand the fact that someone was feeling the same fear I felt!" All Might smiled at the heartfelt declaration.

"That's good. That's very good! One of the most common traits of a hero's beginnings is that when others were in danger, our feet move before we've had a chance to think. Then I have something I want to offer you, young lady," The two looked on, confused, "My quirk," Seigo and Ochako brains stopped processing.

"What?" the two asked simultaneously.

"There's a couple things you should know about my abilities. My power has been speculated by the pundits and theorists for years as super strength or invulnerability but I've always dodged the question with a joke whenever I was asked. It's because the people need to believe that their Symbol of Peace is a natural born human like anyone else… but I'm not. There's nothing 'natural' about my quirk. It's a sacred torch that was given to me by someone else," His quirk could do what now?

"Someone… gave you your quirk?" Ochako asked, still in a state of shock. Seigo was also getting a feeling of Deja vu.

"Yes, and I've decided to give it to you so I have one final question for you, young lady: Will you be willing to take this torch and become the next Symbol of Peace?"

"Geez, no pressure!" Ochako cried out.

'_A quirk that can be passed on… does it have anything to do with… me? Is there some connection?' _Seigo quickly put the thought away for a second.

"I can't believe you can just give someone your quirk!" Ochako continued, still in shock, "It's… I've never heard of anything like that!"

"No… in a world of quirks, anything's possible," Seigo corrected.

"You'll need to adjust to this new reality, young lady," All Might added, "I can transfer my quirk to someone else… and that's just one facet of its abilities. The true name of my quirk is 'One For All'," Seigo felt his breath catch in his throat as he remembered hearing about someone with a similar name: All For One. The man that turned him into a "nomu". The reason for all his problems. All Might didn't notice the distress in Seigo as he kept talking, "One person improves the power, then passes it along, causing it to grow with each successor. It is this cultivated power that allows me save people in need of a hero; the source of my strength."

"Ochako, I think you should take it," Seigo piped up as soon as All Might finished. Ochako nearly fell over herself in shock at the suggestion.

"What?! Not you too!"

"I'm not exactly a people person but you love brightening everyone else's day," Seigo explained, "You've almost always got a smile on your face, you love helping others, you " Ochako could feel herself blushing at the praise, "Plus, you'll be able to help more people if you're stronger and that means more money for your family, no?" Ochako looked conflicted.

"But you're so much stronger than me! The only reason we saved the day was because of you and your awesome warp! You should have-"

"Which is why I don't need it," Seigo cut her off, "This is a chance to be a hero that doesn't need to rely on me or anyone else,"_ 'Also, I've got enough quirks. I don't _want_ anymore,'_

"I agree," All Might grabbed their attention again, "I've been on the hunt for a long time for a worthy successor. It was you that rushed in first, inspiring your friend and me as well to come help. You acted like a hero!" All Might clenched his fist with a look of conviction. The look gave Ochako the push she needed.

"Okay! I'll do it!" She shouted with no reluctance, bringing a smile to All Might and Seigo's faces.

* * *

"And since then, I've been training every day under All Might… and I did it. I got his quirk," she then looked down at her cast with an ashamed smile, "And it broke my arm the second I tried it." The room was silent for a minute before Tsuyu spoke up.

"Thank you for telling us but do you think this is alright? Us knowing?"

"It should be fine! I trust you guys won't do anything stupid," Ochako said with a friendly smile that had a hint of danger to it.

"You sure? Mino's not the most reliable guy on Earth," Tsuyu replied.

"Hey, I kept Sei's secret just fine!" Minoru countered.

"_Izuku_," Tsuyu corrected.

"Argh, whatever!" Minoru shouted back, "Though I'll admit, I'm kinda glad _Izuku_ here didn't get all that power. With what he told us earlier, could you imagine the result?"

"No one on Earth would have a prayer of stopping you… if you could control it," Ochako answered, "You'd be an even greater hero than All Might by a long shot!" A nice sentiment but to Izuku, who just looked down with almost a sigh of relief that he didn't get offered the quirk.

"As for your arm, well, we are talking about all the power of All Might here," Minoru pointed out with a confused look on his face, "What did you _think_ was going to happen?" Tsuyu responded by smacking Minoru again.

"Stop being tactless."

"Doesn't make me wrong!"

"Enough, you two!" Izuku commanded, quieting them both before an argument broke out, "We're all friends, right?" the three nodded, Ochako's grin widened as she realized what Izuku was about to say, "Then it's our job to help a friend when she's in need, right?

"Right!" Tsuyu and Minoru shouted, though Tsuyu's was only a little louder than her normal speaking voice.

"Thanks guys! Yeah, I can't control the power and I'm not sure where to even start since this is nothing like Zero Gravity," Ochako rubbed the back of her head bashfully.

"Okay, so we just brainstorm for a bit and we get a game plan going. Easy, right?" Izuku suggested. The three nodded as Izuku pulled out his quirk notebook to begin their plan for Ochako. Though during it, Minoru had to ask...

"Hey, Izuku, did you ever get that autograph?" Izuku hung his head with shame.

"...no, I didn't…"

* * *

"So, did you come up with a name?" Aizawa asked the next day when he arrived. Izuku nodded with a smile.

"I think we should call it 'Rage Shroud'."

"Simple but effective. Good,"

* * *

**A/N: Edit: I renamed Rage Power to Rage Shroud (yeah, no shit Sal!) because I thought it was a better name for it. I'm really kicking myself right now.**

** From this chapter, on reflection, I couldn't tell if I'm trying to make Aizawa seem less or **_**more**_** of a dick then he is in canon. In the last chapter, I laid out his motivation and in this one, you see his method to see how Izuku reacts to it. I'm trying to make him a very strict teacher but not one you want to see launched into the ocean… out of a catapult. Though I'll admit, if you hate **_**Aizawa **_**right now, I can only imagine the hate for what will happen later. Hohoho, I can't wait… :D**

**The chapter length in this story is starting to get out of control and I want to lay down to die… but I can't because I need to meet an arbitrary deadline or this story will end up abandoned and never finished because my attention span is atrocious. 23 pages in Word is still pretty damn long.**

**Proofreading a near 12000 word document sucks but you know what sucks more? Proofreading a near 12000 word document while sick! That's just wonderful... **

**Reviews this time:**

**MIKE202303 and PasiveNox: Thanks!**

**FreeDreams7, iron-slayer-dragon, Sageofchaos: Thank you all and as thanks, your hopes have been answered and the wait is over… wait, have I been here before?**

**Hmm: I could write an essay on this alone but that would spoil a lot of things so here's the short version for the three points: Yes, but he got away so he's not defeated yet, I have a plan (be **_**very**_** afraid), as for Mineta… for the sake of being brief, this is my answer: Mineta is more useful to me as a decent character than not being here at all. The pieces are there, I only needed to make one adjustment: Give him a reason to **_**want**_** to change.**

**SentinalSlice: That's how. I can only hope you like the answer.**

**Next chapter: The Entrance Exam! Mindless violence, my favorite! Oh, and some more stuff but we'll get there when we get there.**

**Till next time, review, fav, follow and all that good stuff and I'll see you in the next one.**

**Sal out… ACHOO!**


	8. Ch 8: The First Step to Freedom

**Ch. 8: The First Step to Freedom**

December had reached Musutafu and it was set to be a cold one. -5 degrees Celsius was the average for the last week and a half and for the Principal of U.A. High, he was glad he had his winter coat come in. Nezu sat at his desk looking over the recommendations for the hero course on his computer with an excited smile on his face while sipping some excellent green tea. They had received around forty or so recommendations and the lineup was looking stacked with talent and potential. They had the son of Endeavor with a dual power quirk, the daughter of the famous Yaoyorozu family that could create anything she knew the composition of, a young man that could create a typhoon with his mere presence; it was looking to be a very good year.

"_Principal Nezu,"_ the intercom on his desk interrupted his train of thought as his secretary's voice came through, _"Aizawa is here to see you."_ Nezu looked at the clock in the corner of the screen to see it was half past four in the afternoon.

'_Ah, was it that time already?'_ Nezu thought with a stretch before pressing a button on the intercom, "Thank you, send him in," The door swung open a second later almost like Aizawa didn't bother waiting for permission though the entrance was little more than amusing to the principal. "How are you today, Aizawa?" Nezu asked as he walked over to the couches so the two may sit down. He poured Aizawa a cup of his tea but it was ignored by the pro.

"I'd be better if I was left in charge of your pet project," Aizawa groaned as he took a seat across from the principal and handed him a sheet of paper, "This is the info we have on Rage Shroud. Everything we've been able to identify in regards to his quirk."

"I understand that you don't like it but with the way you're performing, how can I have anyone else do the job as good as you are?" Aizawa scoffed a little before taking a drink of the hot tea. Nezu read the data sheet as he nursed his cup, never once changing expression as he took in all the information that his coworker had so diligently acquired. "First Step and Second Step?"

"First Step is when he has control and Second Step is when he's uncontrollable. Midoriya figured it was best to give the two forms a name each so they could be easily referred to," Aizawa explained, earning a pleased nod from Nezu who kept reading. After reading the last line on the page, he set the sheet down with a slightly saddened smile, "Progress has stalled, has it?"

"Midoriya seems to be stuck at one minute. It never increases but also never decreases. We've even timed in with one of the high-speed cameras we have and it's sixty seconds on the dot, every single time," Nezu's smile faded as he thought about the problem.

"That's troubling. If he isn't improving with it…"

"Then he's a liability with it," Aizawa finished, "Thankfully, he can turn it on and off within seconds so at the very least, there's that."

"You don't sound very reassured by that," Nezu pointed out, earning a small sigh from Aizawa as he crossed his arms and tried to look aloof.

"It's not his control of his power I'm worried about; it's his reckless personality that causes him to get involved in problems he has no business with,"

"Some would say that's one of the markings of a hero," the principal countered, "A desire to help even if the help is unwanted or unneeded."

"Except he's not a hero and that's not what I mean. He strikes me as the kind of person that if push came to shove, he'd use any and all options on the table, no matter how dangerous they are."

"Ah, I see," Nezu said with a nod, "Rage Shroud is indeed a powerful option but I guess it would be a problem to let him use it for now. And with the way it looks, it does appear that the situation won't be getting any better for a while."

"That's not the only problem plaguing it,"

* * *

"Alright, now that we've gotten to the point that you can turn it on and off quickly, we need to see just how powerful it is," Aizawa explained as All Might stood next to him on the beach. Midoriya was standing across from the two with Eri not present for the day.

"**Here's the plan, you'll use Rage Shroud and punch my hand as hard as you can and using that, we'll be able to get a general idea of your power,**" Midoriya nodded as Al Might held his hand up and braced himself for an attack. Rage Shroud exploded out with a roar and combined it with Body Burst to heighten his power as far as it could go. Midoriya wound up and threw the strongest punch he could into All Might's hand, leading to a small thud of the blow connecting.

"...That's it?" Aizawa asked, not at all impressed, "He said 'hard as you can', not 'gentle love tap'."

"Huh?" Midoriya looked at Aizawa, confused as Rage Shroud vanished. He drew his hand back to look at it, "But… I put everything I had into that punch…"

"**I must admit, that punch, while strong, was nothing compared to the attacks you were throwing at me back at Hosu. I'd say your punch was about… hmm… one-fifth the strength**," All Might's hypothesis made the confusion on Midoriya's face deepen as he had no idea what was going on. All Might let out a laugh before pointing a figure upwards, "**Do not be discouraged, Young Midoriya, as I have a theory!**"

"Oh, joy," Aizawa snarked, "This should be good," All Might ignored the obvious taunt and deflated back to his normal form and continued.

"Most likely, your full power can only come out when you're in Second Step while First Step only gives you a small taste of that power."

"Oh, I get it!" Midoriya clapped his hands together, "The power itself must be overwhelming me and when I use all of it, I can't control myself!"

"It's possible but we need to know more so it doesn't cause problems for us later on, like the entrance exam where there's tons of students you could hurt," Midoriya nodded before they went back to training.

* * *

"I see. And how's Eri's training coming along?" Nezu gestured to the sheet on the table, "There was nothing on her in there."

"Because we've made exactly zero progress with her," Aizawa admitted gruffly, thinking to all the attempts with Eri, "Her quirk didn't work on plants, we can't even tell how to turn it on, and that leaves animals and people… and I know how much you hate using others for experimentation."

"Oh, I absolutely despise it," Nezu agreed in a cheerful voice, "But that also means we're at an impasse."

"The only other option that we've come up with was to test it on terminally ill animals," Nezu pondered the idea. From the cold, calculated side of his mind, it was a sound one. You risk very little as the animal in question would die anyway but it was the principal of the matter that upset his empathetic side.

"Who came up with that idea?"

"Midoriya, though I can tell he just said it as a joke," Aizawa said as a small smile creeped onto his face, "He even mentioned that you'd love that. He also acknowledged that if Eri failed and accidentally rewound someone out of existence, she'd be traumatized further."

"And that wouldn't help Young Eri any," Nezu shook his head as he tried to find a happy medium to help Eri, "She's been at least cooperative, right?"

"We've basically been bribing her with ice cream and cookies and that seems to get her determined to do a good job so no real problems," Nezu had to stop himself from laughing his tea out through his nose.

"That's good to hear though make sure she's at least getting some vegetables in her diet," Aizawa nodded with an amused smirk, "I'll start brainstorming some ideas for her training and get back to you," Aizawa nodded before standing up.

"If you'll excuse me then," Aizawa bowed to his boss before leaving the room, leaving Nezu with his thoughts.

"Midoriya and Eri… two confounding individuals, these ones," Nezu sighed as he walked over to his desk again and pulled up an email with the Board of Directors for U.A. High. "Maybe I should consider adding a few renovations to the campus."

* * *

Exhaustion was an old friend to Sir Nighteye as he poured through countless reports, all in an effort to find the most wanted man in Japan. The man that stole his idol's future and forced the Symbol of Peace to consider early retirement. The man that spent over a century ruling the underground and spreading fear into the hearts of all that would dare to exist in his world.

All For One. A being of unspeakable evil that it made his skin crawl just thinking about the smug look on his face the last time he saw it. The world thought him dead but thanks to the thief, they now knew better. All For One was alive and he needed to be stopped… if only Nighteye could _find_ him. It was now January, a full two months since they found out about his survival and he had nothing to show for it.

He even tried the same method as Noh. Trackdown, an information broker that could find anyone in the country. That plan dried up in record time because it would appear that Trackdown ran for the hills and got right out of the country to parts unknown. He probably knew that All For One would be coming for him if he was found out. That left very few options. He could try looking to the future of someone who might fight All For One but… he couldn't. He couldn't risk seeing someone's death… like he saw All Might's. The future he sees is immutable. It hasn't changed and it will never change. He continued to think of solutions when he heard a knock on the door. Without even waiting for a response, the door opened to reveal the grumpy face of Gran Torino. Nighteye matched his with one of his own.

"Hard at work, I see," Torino remarked as he walked in, leaning on his cane until he sat down in a chair against the wall, "So, I take it by that glare on your face didn't drag me all the way down here for pleasantries?"

"I was hoping to ask for help," Nighteye began as he stood up from his chair and walked over to Torino, "I've hit a roadblock in finding All For One and you've been in this fight longer than anyone. I was hoping for your advice," Gran Torino closed his eyes with a hum as he began to think. Nighteye waited for a minute as the silence between them filled him with anxious energy as Torino merely sat still, lost in thought. When he opened his eyes to look at Nighteye, his face didn't relay good news.

"I'm afraid this situation is just as new to me as it is to you," Torino admitted, "The thing with All For One before was that he was so confident in his power that he never _needed_ to hide so he was easy enough to find if we needed to. However, the fight with Toshinori must have put the scare in him."

"Nearly dying after such a long time of feeling invincible will do that to a man," Nighteye added, earning a nod from Torino.

"Right now, we're flying blind and running out of time," Torino looked at one of the All Might posters that lined the walls of the room as Nighteye took a drink of water, "Toshinori has passed on One For All already," Nighteye had to stop himself from spitting out the water at the revelation. He settled for choking on it instead.

"*cough* *cough* He _what_?! To _who_?!" Nighteye's eyes were now burning with outrage. He hadn't been told anything of the sort. Torino's eyebrow quirked upwards.

"Oh, didn't he tell you?" Nighteye shook his head, amusing Torino further as he rubbed his beard, "Huh, I wonder why…" he said with a smile.

"Who did he give it to?" Nighteye demanded with more urgency about it.

"A girl named Ochako Uraraka," Not the name he wanted to hear. Not even close. Though it did beg the question:

"...Who?"

"A junior high kid that's taking the U.A. entrance exam next month. Met her a month or so ago, in fact…"

* * *

It had been awhile since Sorahiko Torino had visitors, even longer still since Toshinori had bothered to show his face to his teacher. He'd have to remind him to visit more often. But right now…

Right now, he needed some entertainment.

Toshinori was bringing over the next inheritor of One For All to meet with him and he knew from his descriptions she'd be a complete sucker for one of his pranks. Torino dropped a plate of sausages and ketchup on the floor a few minutes before they were set to arrive, before shutting off all the lights and lying face down and sprawled out on the floor like a murder scene. Just in time to hear some voices at the door.

"This is the home of my teacher, Gran Torino," Toshinori's voice spoke through the door. There was a lengthy silence before a female voice came through.

"Um, All Might?" Uraraka began, concerned, "Are you okay?"

"C-Course I'm okay!" Toshinori's voice was one full to the brim with fear, "W-W-Why wouldn't I-I be okay?!"

"I'm just wondering why you're just standing there, shaking like an earthquake," Torino had to stop himself from laughing, keeping it down to just a snort. He liked this girl already.

"It's j-just a bit cold out!" he insisted.

"It's only 5 degrees and you're in a full coat with a scarf," she pointed out.

"Never mind!" The doorbell rang. Then it rang again. Then a third time.

"Maybe he's not home?"

"We both agreed on the meeting time so I don't know why-" The door opened a crack as the doorknob turned, "The door's unlocked?" The door opened slowly as the two peered their heads in to see Torino, looking very dead.

"AH, HE'S DEAD?!" Uraraka screamed but Toshinori recognized the sausages and ketchup as he looked at his mentor, unimpressed. Torino's head shot up to look at the two.

"I'm alive!" Torino said in a goofy, senile voice. Uraraka nearly fainted where she stood at the utterance.

"You're not funny, sir," Toshinori walked over to help his teacher up as Uraraka sat on the ground, back to the wall with a dazed look in her eyes. Gran Torino laughed at the sight while he helped himself up and dusted himself off.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't resist the chance," Gran Torino walked over to the sitting girl and got a good look at her, hand to his beard, "Hmm… not _too_ impressive looking but more promising than Toshinori was at that age," Uraraka finally returned to her normal self but was still a bit unnerved by the old man in front of her.

"You think, sir?" Toshinori asked as he helped up Uraraka.

"Of course!" Torino replied with a grin, "Back then, you were so lanky and weak you could have been knocked over by a stiff breeze, not unlike today,"

"Um…" Uraraka tried to talk but Torino just kept going and interrupted her as he turned to look at her.

"Anyway, I've got some tea going so take a seat," Torino then turned to Toshinori, "Toshinori, get the tea and make some taiyaki while you're at it!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Toshinori moved quickly, leaving Uraraka in awe at how this old man commanded the greatest hero on Earth like he was a bellboy. She followed Torino as he sat down at the table and looked at Torino's entertained face.

"So, from what Toshinori tells me, you're having a bit of trouble with One For All?"

"Um, yes… and no?"

"Why do I hear a question?"

"Well… maybe I should just show you," Ochako stood up and activated One For All and Torino watched as red veins shot up across her entire body, criss-crossing all over with little sparks of pink lightning appearing every so often. She flicked her finger and nothing happened. Torino's eyebrows shot up.

"Hmm, impressive," Torino said with a smile, "I'm surprised you have such control in so little time,"

"Well, this is only a little bit, like 3% or so and even then, I can't move all that well while using it since I need to concentrate so much,"

"Still, you've not only made significant progress but you've even figured out the correct use of One For All," Torino let out a hearty chuckle, "You're going places kid," Uraraka turned off One For All and bashfully rubbed the back of her head.

"Thanks, but it's my friends that deserve the credit," Torino then looked at Toshinori who was staring at the microwave, shaking.

"So, it wasn't Toshinori that taught you but instead a few of your friends?" Uraraka nodded as she sat back down. Torino tapped his cane against the table, causing Toshinori to turn around and bow in front of his mentor. He then received a heavy bonk on the head, "You muscle-bound nincompoop! Do you know even the most basic of basics when it comes to your own quirk!?"

"Well, I never needed to think about it!"

"Of course, you didn't! That's because we trained you into a replica of Hercules _before_ she gave you it!"

"She?" Torino flew into a rage and threw the cane, conking Toshinori again.

"And you didn't even tell her about Nana, either?! What the hell have you been doing these last eight months?! Did you tell her anything?!"

"It was never important before now!" Toshinori shouted as he rubbed his forehead. Torino grumbled as he turned to Uraraka.

"Must I do everything?" he sighed before he explained, "Nana Shimara was the One For All wielder before _this_ zygote," he jabbed a finger at Toshinori who left to get the tea and treats, "before she was killed by a criminal by the name of All For One," Uraraka's breath caught in her throat as she processed what she was told.

"That's the monster that did all those horrible things to Izuku!" Toshinori placed everything on the table before he handed Torino back his cane and bowed his head in anticipation of another strike that came as predicted. Of course, Midoriya was also friends with his protege because why the stupid hell not.

"Just so you know, I'm angrier you didn't tell me," he said as Toshinori sat down, "Then you know he isn't dead," she nodded which earned a sigh from Torino. They needed to find All For One and fast because they couldn't throw this girl at him and expect anything less than a murder. She might be stronger than All Might in theory but in practice she's nothing to that man. "One For All itself started as the quirk of the man's younger brother but All For One thought he was quirkless. He gave him a stockpiling quirk for whatever reason and it fused with the quirk the brother did have. The ability to pass on his quirk."

"Right, All Might said that the quirk was powered up with each transfer from person to person," Uraraka remembered as Torino nodded.

"Right now, the only person in the world that can stand up to that monster is Toshinori and with him giving up One For All, our window to stop him is very narrow. You should work to save as much of One For All as possible so you're ready for him."

"You know I can't ignore a cry for help," Toshinori argued before Torino looked at him with a glare.

"There are tens of thousands of heroes in this country. Are you telling me you are still so arrogant that you can't trust them to handle _anything_?" That shut his student right up, "I know you're supposed to be the Symbol of Peace but it's going to be really hard for you to be that if you're too busy being quirkless."

"All Might's quirkless?" Toshinori bowed again but this time there was no strike.

"Probably the only thing she's asked that she _didn't_ need to know," Torino shook his head at the lack of due diligence by his pupil, "Anyway, we've gotten a bit off track from why you're here," Torino took a bite of his taiyaki, "So, what's the problem you're having?"

"Well," she picked up her taiyaki with all five fingers and let it go above the floor. Torino watched as the treat floated in mid-air, completely defying the laws of physics, "My quirk lets me remove gravity from objects and people but now it's doing something weird," she took the treat and set it down in front of Torino. She then waved her hand down and Torino could've sworn he heard the table start to groan, "Go ahead, pick it up," Torino looked at it for a second before attempting to do so. Sure enough, it was like it was made of lead.

"I see, so you now can increase the effects of gravity on objects, hmm?" Uraraka nodded as she placed the pads of her fingers together and said "release". The treat was now as light as it used to be.

"Actually, I can freely control how much of an effect gravity has as it no longer is just pure weightlessness. I can now make things lighter but not too light."

"We were wondering if quirks being enhanced or mutated has happened before?"

"Well, I couldn't tell you since Nana's quirk was just floating in one spot above ground. She could only fly if she was going straight up and I first met her after she got it so this is all news to me. If she wanted to fly, she had to kick the air repeatedly to get anywhere."

"Oh!" Uraraka exclaimed as an idea hit her, "Maybe her original quirk wasn't strong enough to mutate like mine!"

"Could be," Torino nodded his head, "Your quirk is well-suited for rescue work and is quite useful and versatile. Nana only used hers to stop herself from falling and her jury-rigged flight."

"Thanks, I wanted to be a hero like Thirteen since she's my idol-oh my god, this is amazing!" Uraraka gushed as she took a bite of the taiyaki. Yep, he liked this one.

* * *

"So, One For All, the strongest quirk in existence, is now in the hands of an untrained gravity girl who's only been in one fight in her life?" Nighteye was back in his chair, head in his hand and glasses on the desk. He couldn't believe what he just heard. All Might, just gave One For All, his legacy, to some girl he met on a fluke.

"Pretty much, yeah," Torino nodded, "Though I wouldn't call her 'untrained' as much as 'inexperienced'."

"Like the difference matters," Nighteye bitterly snarked, "And she's also friends with the thief?"

"Yep," Torino could see what the problem was for Nighteye but he couldn't agree with it.

"This is the worst possible scenario…"

"What makes you say that?"

"I had a candidate for One For All lined up and he's perfect for the role," not that it matters right this minute, "I even had Nezu tell All Might about it but to think that he would completely ignore such a perfect hero for some little girl…"

"It was never our decision to make," Torino pointed with his cane as Nighteye glared, "When I first met Toshinori, I thought he was a complete boob of a child with a dream too radical to work. You only need to turn your head to see how well it's worked for him," Torino motioned to the All Might posters throughout the room.

"But you trained him extensively before he ever got it! The girl hasn't stepped foot in a hero school yet and he just decides to give her One For All because she does something recklessly heroic?! That doesn't stop it from being an idiotic decision!" Torino sighed at how stubborn Nighteye was being. It was like working with All Might all over again.

"So, who is this wonder child of yours?" Suddenly another knock was at the door.

"Sir, it's Togata! You called for me?" A cheerful voice called through the door. Nighteye smiled as he turned to Torino.

"Would you like to meet him?" This was salvageable. It would take a while but he could fix All Might's mistake.

* * *

"Thanks for letting us all stay the night, Mrs. Midoriya!" Ochako said cheerfully as she walked in with Minoru and Tsuyu in tow.

"It's no problem at all, dear," Inko smiled warmly as she shut the door, "You all have a big day tomorrow so giving you a place to stay for the night is the least I could do for Izuku's friends." The trio walked into the living room to see the couch was gone, leaving a wide-open space.

"So, what exactly are the sleeping arrangements?" Tsuyu asked, a bit concerned because of a certain purple pervert.

"I moved the couch into mom's room for her to sleep on it," Izuku clarified as he left his room to see his friends, "The girls will share mom's bed since it's for two people while Minoru will be in my room," Minoru shook his head with a knowing smile.

"You know me too well," Izuku sighed at the comment but smiled regardless.

"I have to or the girls will try to kill us both,"

"Well, it would mostly be Tsu," Ochako explained with a hint of danger, "I would just be very cross with you two."

"Um, I've felt what 'very cross' is and know that it makes whatever Tsu would do look tame," Minoru said as he threw his stuff into Izuku's room, "You only need one trip on the Vomit Comet to regret your life choices…"

"And yet, you never seem to change," Tsuyu countered.

"Baby steps people. I'll put more effort in when we get to U.A.; a place where everyone doesn't already know I'm a perv."

"You could at least get some practice in with controlling yourself,"

"I am right now," Ochako and Izuku just shook their heads as they watched the two argue.

"I swear, they're always going at it," Izuku said with a sigh.

"It's not like Minoru doesn't bring it on himself," Ochako reasoned as she walked into the living room.

"True enough," Izuku watched as Ochako took a seat at the dining table and took a seat next to her. He looked at her face and she seemed apprehensive, "You okay?"

"I'm just thinking about tomorrow and how I'm probably going to screw something up…"

"Who are you and what have you done with Ochako?" Izuku asked with a chuckle, which brought a soft smile to her face, "You're normally so optimistic about everything that it's strange to see you actually be nervous about something."

"Well, I'm basically carrying a legacy now," Ochako remarked, "It's hard not to feel the pressure now that I'm just a poor girl from the countryside and now I'm basically having to become the next All Might. How can I _not_ be nervous?"

"Just do what I do," Ochako looked at him inquisitively, "Remember everything that you can do, and then use it." Ochako's eyes widened and a bright smile returned to her face.

"You're right! I've got all I need to pass; I just need to apply it!" Izuku nodded before he noticed Tsuyu and Minoru looking at them, with him smirking.

"I've never seen a couple more thirsty for each other,"

"Seriously," Tsuyu agreed, causing the two to blush.

* * *

"So, how are you all feeling about tomorrow?" Tsuyu asked as the four sat on the floor in front of the television.

"Well, thanks to your guy's help, I feel like I've finally gotten a hand on things!" Ochako exclaimed with excited energy before her mind remembered the written test, "Though I'm nervous as all get out about the first part of the test…"

"I made a bet with Zuku that I could get a higher score than him in the written test," Minoru spoke with pride.

"And I said he wouldn't even make the top twenty in the practical," Izuku countered with a smirk, "Which he won't since he doesn't take anything seriously."

"I could if I _wanted_ to."

"But you never _want_ to."

"You boys are really turning this into a competition?" Ochako asked, exasperated.

"It _is_ a competition," Izuku reminded her, "We're facing every single other person in the test to get into the hero course. From what Aizawa told me, they only take the best of the best in the practical and everyone else is shoved into a different course that they also signed up for."

"When you put it like that, it's sounds like a lot of people slip through the cracks,"

"Speaking of the practical, what quirk are you going to you, Izu?" Ochako asked. Izuku sighed as he leaned backed.

"Right, isn't Overhaul still out there looking for Eri? He knows about Targeted Warp," Minoru added.

"I've decided that it would be best to use Targeted Warp since I'll probably end up using it on accident anyway if I get into a fight and panic," Izuku reasoned, "I'd rather have to fight Overhaul again than have to explain my past to the whole school because of one mistake."

"Not to mention that you're going to try and keep it under wraps as long as possible, right?"

"I won't say anything if no one asks," Izuku said with a nod. "Whatever the case, we'll all just have to try our absolute best to succeed with what we're given. I've heard that if we fail the practical, there's still the Sports Festival to fall back on. Though first things first, we have to actually get _into_ U.A. since if we fail the written, we're done for." Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

The next morning was busy as all hell. The group tried to be at U.A. as early as possible and it was still loaded with people. It seemed like thousands of other hopefuls had arrived for the entrance exam.

"This might be a problem," Minoru said as he climbed up Izuku's back to get on his shoulders, "There's so many people that there's a higher chance that a lot of them are gifted!"

"Probably more gifted than the kid with balls on his head," Tsuyu added.

"Quiet, or I'll throw my balls at you,"

"Can you please call them something else?" Izuku whined, "The thought of you hitting Tsuyu with your balls is a mental image I will take to my grave," Ochako had to stifle a laugh.

"How about 'grapes'?" Minoru suggested.

"Better. Now, which way to the test room?" The four found a diagram with a map to the testing rooms just inside the building. As it turns out, there were multiple test rooms listed by school, so all four would have to split up.

"Well, this blows," Minoru complained as he had to climb back down Izuku's back, making sure to take his grapes he used to get up there with him.

"What, were you hoping to have Izu carry you through the test?"

"I wouldn't have minded it."

"Move it, extras" the four turned to see the blond boy from the sludge villain attack. Katsuki Bakugou, if he remembered from one of the times his mother visited his family since he came home. The four parted to let him pass as he took one look at the diagram before he noticed Ochako and sneered. He turned and walked down the hall towards room three, where Izuku unfortunately had to follow.

"Glad to see his attitude's intact even ten months later," Ochako snarked, "Anyway, I don't want to be late so I'll see you guys after the test!" she said with a wave and a smile, "I'll accept nothing less than all four of us passing!"

"Such high standards," Minoru said with a sigh, "Well, I guess I do have to try if I want to win the bet,"

"You won't," Tsuyu said as she left.

"I will!" Minoru fired back as he walked off, leaving Izuku alone to do the same. He looked at the card he was given in the mail to find his seat in the very far back corner. He'd make a joke about Nezu trying his best to isolate him but no one was around to get the joke. After taking his seat and waiting as the room filled with students, the proctor for the test finally walked in, handing out the test to everyone. When he finally got his copy, Izuku focused on it as best he could though he was starting to realize that while he may have had Nezu's study guides, they were apparently no real replacement to years of actual schooling. After the hour was up and all the tests were collected, a new person walked in with blond hair standing upwards in a spike.

"What's up, U.A. candidates!" Present Mic said as he stood with his back to the class, "Thanks for tuning into me, your school DJ!" He motioned his arms towards the crowd, "COME ON AND LET ME HEAR YA!" he shouted and placed a hand to his ear, only to be met with stony silence. Izuku wished he had time for an autograph since Mic's radio show was one of his few sources of entertainment when he was living in that storage garage. He sighed before continuing, "Keeping it mellow huh? That's fine and I'll just skip straight to the main show. Here's how this practical is going to go down! ARE YOU READAY, YEAH!" More silence as the screen changed to show seven boxes with letters on them, "After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle centers and all be thrown into an urban setting full of robot villains for ten minutes and you'll get points when you shred them like a mid-song guitar solo!" Izuku looked at his card to see it had a "B" on it. The screen showed three robots with points above them, "They're worth one, two, and three points apiece with the difficulty increasing with the point total. HOWEVER! Make sure to keep things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no no, you dig?"

"Excuse me, sir, but I have a question," A haughty voice shouted as he stood up. The boy had blue hair with glasses on and that's all Izuku could see from where he was.

"Hit me!"

"On the print-out, you listed _four_ types of villains, not three," he stated with his voice getting more outraged as he continued, "With all respect, if this is an error on official U.A. materials, it is shameful!" Izuku tried to stop himself from snorting out of his nose but he couldn't hold it, "We are exemplary students, we expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this won't do," He then turned to the chuckling Izuku and pointed at him, the glare on his glasses hiding his eyes from view, "Additionally, you with the unkempt hair. You've been chuckling and mumbling this whole time. Stop that. If you can't take this seriously, then leave. You're distracting the rest of us." He called out Izuku in front of everyone in attendance.

Clearly, this meant war. Izuku stopped chuckling and quickly warped a cone megaphone into his hand under the table and spoke into it.

"**I'M SORRY. IS THIS BETTER, CHATTERBOX?**" The crowd around him started to laugh at the blue-haired examinee, who was taken aback by this brazenness but couldn't offer a rebuttal before Present Mic stepped in.

"Alright, the both of you can knock it off," he said playfully as he tried to regain control of the situation, "Thanks for calling in with your request, examinee 7111!" A fourth robot appeared on the screen, "The fourth target is worth zero points. That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every battle center so just think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it _can't_ be beaten; there's… kinda no point. I recommend that my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones topping the charts!"

"Thank you very much," 7111 said with a bow, "Please continue," as he sat back down, Izuku took note of all the info he just got. He needed to get more points than everyone else while also avoiding the zero pointer. Bio Scanner was useless since his targets weren't alive so he'd have to do things the old fashioned way. He'd also have to come up with a more complex plan on the fly since he only knew that the center was an urban area and his targets were robots… and nothing else.

"That's all I've got for you today so I'll sign off with a little present: a sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, 'a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes'. Mmhm, now that's a tasty soundbite!" He gave the brightest smile he could manage, "You ready to go beyond?" a giant graphic appeared on the screen, "LET'S HEAR A PLUS ULTRA!" Izuku took the words to heart as he steeled himself. He was ready. He could do this.

* * *

After changing into his gym sweats and arriving at the battle center, Izuku took stock of the competition. Chatterbox was here but he didn't see anyone he recognized. Made sense. Nezu knew about Tsu and Ochako and might have found out about Minoru… somehow. With Nezu, nothing's impossible. But that was to his benefit. That meant he didn't have to worry about their totals. He could focus on just-

"You're mumbling again," Izuku turned to the familiar voice. He put on a warm smile before addressing the man.

"Ah, Chatterbox, can I help you?"

"You can start by ceasing with the mumbling as you're distracting the other entrants," Chatterbox claimed as he began karate chopping the air, "And stop calling me, 'Chatterbox'! My name is Tenya Iida and I demand that you address me as such." Izuku saw a prime opportunity to throw one of the more promising entrants off his game. He just had to mess with him a little.

"Sorry, Chatterbox, I would if I respected you at all… but I don't. Also, so what if I was mumbling?" Izuku dropped the smile before continuing, "If you can't focus on what you're here to do that someone talking to themselves is distracting to you, you might not be ready to be a hero; an occupation _full_ of distractions. Also, you're yelling at me for mumbling to myself. Which one of us is being louder?" This seemed to rile up Iida to a breaking point who was about to let him have it before-

"OKAY, START!" Present Mic's voice echoed through the city as he stood at the top of the gate leading into the battle center. Everyone turned to look but Izuku heard "start" and knew he needed to move. He warped a rock into his hand and threw it as hard as he could over the crowd, allowing him to bypass it and run in, shocking everyone, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! THERE'S NO COUNTDOWN IN AN EMERGENCY AND ONE KID'S ALREADY TAKEN OFF!" Iida ran off after Izuku along with the rest of the crowd, intent on catching up to the warping boy. Izuku looked over his shoulder as Iida began to catch up.

_'Okay, he is definitely fast!'_ He saw the engines sticking out of Iida's calves, _'So, that's his quirk. Engines that increase his speed to an amazing degree. I don't think I can beat him in a foot race but I might be able to keep up by warping... it also seems familiar to me but I can't remember where.' _A one-pointer came screeching around the corner, taking aim but it didn't last long as Izuku's foot drove through its face, To his right, Iida gave another one-pointer a stiff dropkick and crumpled it like aluminum. _'I need to focus on what's in front of me for now and how to limit Chatterbox taking all the points.'_

"Help!" Izuku turned around to see a entrant fallen over in front of a one pointer. The one pointer took aim and was promptly smashed by an incoming green-haired blur. Izuku quickly recovered from the kick and landed on solid ground before he looked at the cowering teen.

"You okay?" The teen stood up, no worse for wear.

"Yeah! Thanks for the help!" Izuku gave a small salute before he started warping away to get more points.

* * *

Ochako could feel One For All course through her body as she used the 5%, she had to outrun most of the competition. She even lowered her own gravity to go even faster but it couldn't be held for long. She tried to run away from the thick of the battle, content to pick up points where she could on the outskirts where the numbers were smaller but far more manageable. As a two-pointer appeared in her face from an alleyway, she placed her hand on it before throwing her hand down, causing the machine to crumple under its own weight. She was on the board, but it was taking too long for the robots to fall apart and she felt bloated from doing it. She tried to swallow the bile in the back of her throat as she tried punching a one-pointer in the head, knocking it clean off.

'_Oh wow, they are _flimsy_. This works _way_ better!' _Ochako took to punching robots and her score slowly but surely rose.

* * *

Aizawa scratched his neck as he watched the test, more specifically, Midoriya's test. He put four months of his life into training that kid. He damn well better pass or he will personally throw him into whatever hole they plan to put him in himself. He wasn't at all surprised that Midoriya decided to use Targeted Warp as his quirk of choice because it was the one he was the most used to using but he was surprised at just how _good_ he was at using it. Izuku would throw a rock at an enemy, hit a completely different foe, warp to the rock and throw another at a third robot and attack the second one before warping to the third one. Rinse repeat. He also made sure to target the heads of the robots where they're the weakest. It was effective enough that he was keeping pace with a speedster that, while faster on the ground than Midoriya, wasn't as good at multitasking and transitioning through motions. Though real villains would catch on to such stunts before long so he'd need to adapt. Aizawa had to admit it though. Midoriya definitely had the skills to be a strong hero though he had a lot of competition. That speedster, Iida, was talented and well-trained already but being from a family of heroes will do that and his quirk was a strong one. There was also the Bakugou kid in center A who was tearing up the place with sadistic glee and frightening levels of power as he went "boom" and then there was no more anything. There were some other less than stellar but passable performances but nothing noteworthy.

"What do you think, Aizawa?" Eraser was ripped from his thoughts as Yagi and Nezu looked at him as if they were talking and wanted his input. "What do you think of this year's batch?"

"There's talent but the gap between the best and the passable is extremely wide. You can see from just watching Bakugou, Iida, and Midoriya and then comparing it to… say that purple ball kid who's just getting by because his quirk is good at immobilizing foes and giving him a bouncy movement option but nothing else. Also, I think he's bleeding..."

"Immobilizing villains is a very useful skill," Nezu argued.

"If he had other skills to back it up."

"I do like your suggestion to have some of the current first years participate incognito as examinees to be rescued, Nezu," Nemuri said from his left as she pointed to Midoriya helping up an injured examinee and warping him to the gates to remove him from the battlefield, "It gives some of the less combat-oriented kids a chance to shine."

"Indeed, but it might not be enough to keep up with them. Anyway, I think it's about time for the main attraction," He looked over his shoulder at the man in charge of the robots, "Don't you agree, Power Loader?" The digger bucket-helmeted man chuckled with glee as he pressed a big red button on his control panel, causing the battle centers to start shaking.

* * *

When Izuku heard about the zero-pointer, he wasn't sure what he was expecting but he was certain of one thing.

He wasn't expecting a fifteen-story tall robot that crushes buildings in its hands like paper. The robot punched the ground, sending a massive dust cloud blowing by, nearly knocking Izuku off his feet.

"LESS THAN TWO MINUTES REMAINING!" Present Mic shouted.

"Oh, so that's what they meant by 'better to avoid it'," Izuku said aloud as he turned to go back to fighting the small fry when he heard a cry of pain and frustration.

"No! This can't be happening!" Izuku turned to see Chatterbox lying on the ground, buried up to his waist in debris caused by the zero-pointer destroying the top of a building. He saw the zero-pointer moving towards them so he took off running towards Chatterbox.

'_I've used a lot of warps today so I've only got a few warps left. It should be fine, I think. I think I've got a lot of points though I lost track after forty,'_ Izuku winded up to throw before launching the rock that landed right in front of Chatterbox. "Need a hand?" Izuku said as he placed a hand on his back before warping the two back to the front gate. The man took a look around to see where he was and saw that he was free again. But now he was angry.

"How dare you sabotage me-ack!" he tried to stand but fell down again as his legs gave out, "Damn, I can't even stand!"

"Well, yeah," Izuku snarked, "Not many people can walk after being buried in concrete and rebar. You should be glad I came back to get you out of there rather than complaining about rescues you don't like. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if there's anyone else that needs help," Izuku warped away, leaving a seething Iida on the ground. But he wasn't angry that he was saved or how he was saved. He was now angry because the person who saved him was more concerned about others while he was only concerned about himself. Like a hero would.

* * *

Pain. That's what Ochako felt as she held her leg. She didn't see the concrete rocks coming but she sure felt it when it smashed into her right leg. She was useless in this state and outrunning the robot wasn't an option.

All Might and the staff watched on, taking stock of the situation.

"Be ready to stop Executor C, Loader," Nezu ordered with a smile.

"Kill switch at the ready," All Might looked as he watched Ochako pick herself off the ground and stare at the giant robot.

'_Now, things get interesting,'_ All Might thought as he watched his protege tremble on her good leg with a look of fear in her eyes, _'A person's true character is revealed when faced with danger,'_ She looked around and saw that she wasn't the only one caught in the crossfire. A few other students were either trapped or stricken with fear and couldn't move. She had an idea that was so crazy, it just might work. _'There are no combat points for taking on that humongous villain but there is opportunity,'_ She removed as much gravity from herself and launched herself with her good leg to the robot's body, _'To show what you're really made of,'_ Placing both hands on it, she raised its weight as high as she could get it, eventually bringing it to a stop as the treads could no longer move the weight. Everyone looked on in awe as the robot began to short-circuit under its own weight, showing that this one girl managed to defeat it all on her own. _'That's right, show who you are. Embody what it means to be a hero! Nothing is nobler,' _She let herself fall to the ground with a smile as the robot was defeated and threw up when she hit the ground, no longer able to move, _'than self-sacrifice!'_

"Holy hell!" Power Loader shouted as he looked at the control panel.

"Power Loader," Nezu looked on confused, "What did she do?"

"According to the troubleshooter, she made the Executor so heavy it _burned out the motor_!"

"That's amazing!" Nezu applauded, "I read about her quirk but I wasn't aware it was _this_ powerful!"

"With a quirk like that, she could be a top hero!" Midnight added as she jabbed Aizawa with her elbow playfully.

_'She managed to immobilize that huge villain on top of her performance throughout the test. She's definitely has potential_ but...' He watched as she continued to vomit out the contents of her stomach, grossing out a lot of the other competitors,_ 'she needs to work to limit the drawbacks,'_

* * *

"AND THAT'S TIME!" Present Mic shouted as an alarm began to blare. Iida took notice as he looked around, seeing no one except one student with ruffled purple-hair and tired, disappointed eyes. Was he another student that the warper kid saved? He could stand now as Recovery Girl came by and healed him before walking away to help others but he couldn't find the strength. Not because of anything wrong with him but because he saw exactly how foolish he was being. He popped another gummy she gave him into his mouth as he thought about the warper who, without hesitation, came to his aid and put others first. Now that he thought about it, all throughout the test, if there was someone in need of help, the green-haired boy was the first one on the scene to help, even if he gained nothing from it. Either he had confidence in his own abilities to get a high score (which Iida begrudgingly had to admit that, yes, he did) or he didn't know how to turn away from someone in need. A thought hit him. What if the exam had other parameters that he didn't know of? This _was_ a test for the hero course so of course they would be looking for heroic actions like stopping to help others in need. The boy must have realized that and acted accordingly. Why hadn't he considered that?

Pop* "You doing okay, Chatterbox?" His train of thought was derailed by the voice of the warper who looked at him with an expression of concern.

"That's not my name," Iida grumbled, "It's-"

"Tenya Iida, right?" Iida was caught off-guard as he heard the warper say his name.

"If you know my name, why must you insist on calling me 'Chatterbox'?!" Iida started his karate practice at the insult, chopping the air in an almost robotic manner.

"Just to see how you handle being messed with and you handled it pretty well all things considered," Izuku took a seat next to Iida before extending his hand as a fist, "Izuku Midoriya. You can call me Izuku if you like. Or don't; I don't really care which," Iida stared at the closed hand hesitantly and with suspicion.

"Why the sudden change in attitude? We've been hostile to each other all day and now you want to make peace?"

"Like I said before, I didn't respect you but now that I've seen you work, I do," Izuku gave a warm smile, "I mean, you're a jerkass who demands everything to march to the beat of your drum but I'm the same way sometimes. I certainly wasn't helping matters with the name calling and the megaphone. There was also a bit of test nerves in there so I made jokes to lighten up a little but I can see that was me just being an ass. I'm sorry. Plus side: I think we both did well since we basically shut out most of the competition here."

"Well…" Iida adjusted his glasses with a slightly embarrassed look on his face, "I suppose I was acting a bit too much like a jerk and we did indeed do a superb job since I feel I got at least fifty points and I think you were keeping pace with me. I just feel I could have done better if I wasn't so careless…"

"Hey, we all have our bad moments. That's why we're here, right? To get the training we need to be the best heroes?" Iida returned the smile as he extended his hand.

"Right!" Izuku looked at the open hand and bopped it with his fist.

"Sorry, I don't do handshakes because of my quirk," Izuku opened his hand to show the cross on his palm before he bumped his fist together, "They're a pain to remove so I have to fist bump."

"Ahh, I see! Fist bump it is!" The two gave an awkward as hell fist bump before laughing and returning to the bus.

"By the way, how do those engines work?" Izuku asked, notebook suddenly in hand.

* * *

Ochako walked out of the main building feeling like utter garbage. Recovery Girl healed her leg and nausea but because of that, she had no stamina left, especially since she used a lot of it to stop the zero-pointer. Tsuyu had to carry her just to get her to the group.

"Oh, lord, you look like trash," Minoru said with sympathy as he held an ice pack to his head.

"I feel like trash," She noticed the ice pack, "What happened to you?"

"Explodey McKilling happened," Minoru remarked, "He blew up a robot and I got hit with the debris,"

"So, how'd everyone do?" Everyone responded with a good though Minoru was worried since he only got 28 points from his traps. Hearing that Ochako got around forty, Tsu got almost as much, and Izuku thinks he's somewhere in the fifties wasn't helping. His quirk couldn't keep up with two freaks of nature and Tsu's is just better at everything.

"Hey, I'm sure you did fine. Me and this one guy at our center pretty much stole all the points."

"Yeah, that makes me feel better," Minoru snarked as he skulked off towards the train station to head home.

"Eh, he'll probably be fine," Tsuyu commented, "He seems to have an uncanny amount of luck at pulling wins out of his ass," Tsuyu than adjusted her grip on Ochako, "I'll take sleepyhead here home so don't worry about us."

"Actually, Tsu, I'll just stay at Izu's place again."

"You sure?" Izuku asked, nervous at the thought of having her stay over again... and just her this time.

"I don't have the energy for a two-hour train ride with strangers right now… And I need food and your mom is like a god-tier cook," Tsu didn't even try to hide the knowing smile on her face, earning a glare from Izuku.

"Alright then. I'm sure Mom won't mind."

* * *

**A/N Sal's back and he's no longer sick! Hooray!**

**So as is obvious, I've made a few edits over the last week. Rage Power is now Rage Shroud since I thought it was a better name and I'm still kicking myself over it. I've also found out that I've been spelling Uraraka's name in the Japanese spelling (Ochako), not the English one (Ochaco) so for the sake of having consistency, I'll be using the Japanese spelling of names from now on (Shota becomes Shouta, Bakugo becomes Bakugou etc.) If I make a mistake on this, I'll correct it… If I ever told it's there. I just hope you guys understand.**

**Next, I would like to ask if anyone is willing to be a beta reader for this. I was hesitant to do so since people have these things called lives (I've got a full-time job myself) and I'm scared that if I added more help to the making of this story, Not to mention the big problem sweeping the globe with COVID-19 infecting everyone with a pulse. it would slow right the hell down whenever schedules didn't align. However, it's for the best that I get a fresher set of eyes on the story. A less biased set of eyes. I need someone that would be willing to hit me over the head with a rolled-up newspaper and tell me to stop being stupid.**

**I do want to state that I'm thankful to every single person that favorited, followed, reviewed, or just stopped by to read (It's **_**much**_** more than I was expecting. About five times more). It means so much that you'd want to spend your time here and I want to make sure that the story is something worth spending time on. If you choose to help me, thanks a million. If not, hey, thanks for stopping by to read this.**

**In other news, I've decided to add a bit of pettiness to Izuku's personality as you can see with the megaphone gag. Mostly because I've always wanted to see someone fire back in that scene like this. And I'm also aware that Uraraka was also in that room but I figured Nezu wouldn't want Izuku near anyone else that he knew so I made sure to place them in different rooms altogether. **

**Staring from this point onward in the story, we'll be diverting some attention towards other characters. This story is primarily Izuku's but with what I have planned, the others could use some time themselves.**

**Finally, the next chapter will be the last one before I go on hiatus. Persona 5 Royal comes out on the 31st and I'll need some time with that monster. Chapter 10 will most likely be on 22nd of April instead of the 15th. Speaking of which, next chapter will have another massive change.**

**Sal Out.**


	9. Ch 9: Another Word For Prison

**Ch. 9: Another Word For Prison**

One week after the robotic massacre that U.A. called an entrance exam, Izuku laid in his bed and stared at the white ceiling of his bedroom with anxiety filling his body. Though it was about time for him to go to sleep, Bio Scanner was tuned to sense anyone and everyone near him. He was waiting for the police to bust down the doors, crash through the windows, explode out of the floor and smash down from the ceiling. The wait was killing him as he couldn't tell what was about to happen.

'_From my own estimates… I don't think I passed the written test. Nezu's help was great and all but there was a lot I wasn't sure about. It's funny in a way. The only thing I'm sure I passed is probably the part everyone else was soiling their pants over,'_ Izuku looked over the readings of Bio Scanner again, _'I don't sense anything suspicious but we're on the fourth floor so for all I know, they could be out there right now._' Izuku got up from his bed and left his room. His mom was sitting on the couch, reading a book.

"Mom, I'm gonna be just outside for a bit," Inko jumped a little in surprise before turning over her shoulder.

"Oh, lord…" she said as she placed a hand over her startled heart, "Okay, but remember not to go too far," she said with a motherly smile before turning back to her book. Izuku could tell that she trusted him to not do something foolish which was a nice feeling. He exited out the door and placed his hands on the railing overlooking the parking lot and looked down. There wasn't a fleet of police cars so that was reassuring. Though, knowing the people he did, they would probably try to take him in a small-scale operation. Or just send Aizawa to kick his ass into the ground. That would probably be the most efficient way to take him in since it worked last time. He looked up towards the sky and wondered how his friends were handling things. While it's true they all have their futures on the line with the test, he, very literally, had _everything_ on the line. He fails and that would be it. Getting a job as a convict is almost impossible, so he'd have very little options to make an honest living. He'd be thrown into a correctional facility and after that, he'd be a social outcast and have nothing left. He'd lose his friends as heroes associating with "scum" like him would hurt them, his family would lose respectability for "raising a criminal" despite it never being their fault and Eri… How would Eri take it? He could tell that she adores him but to find out that she can't see him again would break her heart.

Izuku sat down next to the railing as he realized the gravity of the situation he was in. He was so distracted by getting ready for the test that he never even thought about what happened _after_ the test. There _was_ no Plan B. Everything was riding on test results he wasn't even close to confident in and it was driving him nuts with worry.

"Well, what are you doing out at this time of night?" Izuku jumped up in shock and surprise and assumed a stance to defend himself before he realized who he was facing, "Hehe, that's quite a hello, Midoriya," Detective Tsukauchi remarked with a chuckle. Aizawa followed up the stairs behind him, looking as tired and bored as ever, "You must not be used to being snuck up on."

Izuku took a second to realize that he turned Bio Scanner off. Aizawa then pulled out his phone and showed what looked like a GPS screen. He looked down at his tracker anklet and remembered what Aizawa told him.

'_They were monitoring my quirk usage so that the second Bio Scanner went off, they could surprise me,'_ he looked at Aizawa with a knowing smirk. "Didn't think you had a sense of humor, Teach," Aizawa's mouth was covered by his scarf but Izuku could still see the faintest of smiles.

"I've been told I have an odd one," he said as he pointed to the door, "In any case, let's take this inside. It's like eight below out here and the heater was busted," Izuku nodded with an amused smile and let the two men inside. Inko looked over her shoulder and got her second surprise of the night.

"Detective, Aizawa, I thought the probation meeting was tomorrow," Inko's worried voice carried through the room as she led the two to the dining room table.

"Oh, it was, but we have business with Midoriya tonight so we decided to move it forward a little," Tsukauchi took off his hat as he sat down with Aizawa taking a seat next to him. Opposite him was the Midoriyas as they looked on with confusion and anxiety.

"What about?" Izuku asked.

"You forget already?" Aizawa asked as he pulled an envelope from his pocket and lightly threw it to land in front of the boy. It was addressed to him. He picked it up and turned it over to see the seal of U.A. on the other side. "Your test results are in and we decided to deliver them in person."

"So, I failed and now you're here to take me into custody?"

"Who knows," Aizawa said with a creepy smile, "You'll just have to find out," Tsukauchi pulled out a set of handcuffs and placed them on the table with a smile of his own. Izuku warped the envelope to his other hand to extract the paper and… a metal disc? As it landed on the table, it shot out a beam of light.

"**BOOYAH! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION NOW!**" All Might's billowing voice erupted from the disk as a hologram of a screen appeared, with his face taking up about 90% of it.

"Wha-_All Might?!_" Izuku squeaked out as he dropped the envelope he was holding. "Why is he in this?!" Tsukauchi had to stifle a laugh from watching Izuku's reaction.

"**Greetings, young man! I hope you've been well since the last time we've talked a few weeks ago but with great power comes a great amount of paperwork! You see, I am here not just as the Number One Hero and an alumnus of U.A. High. NO, I am here as its newest faculty member!**"

'_All Might… Teaching at U.A…. The chance to learn from the greatest hero…'_ Izuku's fanboying brain was barely able to process anything else as a hand appeared out of the corner of the screen. Aizawa could only roll his eyes at the recording while Tsukauchi just covered his mouth with his hand, a bit embarrassed by his friend's antics. Inko, meanwhile, just stared on as she tried to wrap her head around everything.

"**What's that?**" All Might asked the man off-screen, "**Who's showboating? Sorry, I'll wrap it up but I have to show him something first…**" All Might's face then fell at what he was told, "**Wait, I have to do ****_how_**** many of these things? Uh…**" He shrugged before placing his palm towards the screen, "**Right! Moving on! Ahem. You just managed to pass the written test, finishing just a little above the cut off. Congratulations on that but it was only half the test for you! In the practical exam, you managed to finish with a final Villain Point count of 52! An impressive feat to be sure and good enough for you to score in 13th place, meaning that you, Izuku Midoriya, have passed the entrance exam!**" Izuku let all the air in his lungs out in a wheezing sigh as his mother hugged him.

"Oh, my baby! I knew you could do it!" Inko said with tears flowing out, matching her son's own leaking eyes.

"**HOWEVER!**" All Might's voice boomed as he continued, surprising both of the Midoriyas. They braced themselves for the worst, "**There was another factor involved with the exam! But first, a short video of the test!**" All Might pointed a remote to a TV beside him and pressed play. On the screen, footage of Izuku running to help Iida played, showing him warping Iida out of harm's way before the robot smashed the area where they had been. "**There's more to being a hero than just fighting villains. It's our duty to protect those around us as well. ****_That_****, more than anything, is what makes someone a hero. And that is what my alma mater is all about: Training those who would work to save the lives of everyone around them. So, we have Rescue Points! A panel of judges watches and awards points for heroic actions!**" The screen shifted to show Izuku's score, "**Izuku Midoriya: 51 Rescue Points!**" Izuku's eyes widened at the sight, seeing where his name was but having trouble really believing it. "**You not only passed the exam, but you now share the claim of first place with a total of 103 points! Congratulations and welcome, Izuku,**" All Might held out his hand, as if for Izuku to take it, "**You're now part of the hero academia!**"

Izuku's face widened with a smile as he said thanks to the projection of All Might before he realized something. "Wait, I 'share the claim of first place'?"

"Yep, it's been a while since it last happened on record but you and one other entrant both scored the exact same amount of points in first place…"

* * *

"**You passed the written test and scored a total of 43 Villain Points on the exam,**" Ochako sat with her mother and father on the floor, looking at the All Might hologram with anxiety, "**With such a score, you'd get about 19th overall, good enough to pass.**" The Urarakas all let out a sigh of relief at the news.

"I'm so proud of you, dear," her father said with a hug, with her mother joining too.

"We both are," Ochako could feel tears welling up but All Might interrupted them.

"**Though that's if we only took in your Villain score. For you see, we don't grade our entrance exam on combat alone. See for yourself!**" All Might played the clip of Uraraka stopping the zero-pointer, making sure to get all the people she saved in the shot. It even showed her falling to the ground, vomiting and useless on the ground, shocking the two adults in the room and embarrassing Ochako, "**Heroes are always risking their lives to save others, no matter the consequences to themselves. That is the true test of a hero! And that's what U.A. is all about, Young Uraraka: We train those who risk their lives for the greater good. Which is why we have Rescue Points! A panel of judges watches the test and awards points for the heroic act of the examinees! Ochako Uraraka: 60 Rescue Points!**" Ochako's jaw hit the floor as she saw her total and the 1st next to her name, "**You passed the exam with a total of 103 points, tying with one other. Congratulations!**" He also held out his hand for her, "**Welcome, Ochako, to your hero academia!**

"I passed." It sunk in for her just what she accomplished, "I passed!" she cried as she hugged her parents as hard as she could, laughing with them. "Oh my god, I've got to tell Izu-" Izuku. Did he pass? She wasn't shown anyone else's total, just her own. "Oh my god, I've got to call Izuku…"

* * *

"God, a 'logical deception'?" Izuku moaned as Tsukauchi put the handcuffs away with a chuckle, "Is that the new way of saying 'I just felt like messing with you'?"

"Did you really think we'd only bring two people to arrest you?" Aizawa said with a raised eyebrow, "Besides, it said, clear as day on the contract you signed, that you had sixty days to find a new school if you failed or were expelled."

"But we don't have to worry about that anymore, right?" Inko asked.

"Not unless he does something stupid and gets expelled," Aizawa pointed out.

"We'll be expecting you to be on your best behavior, understand?" the detective followed up.

"Yes, sir. I'm happy for this opportunity," Izuku replied with a smile.

"Glad to hear it," Tsukauchi returned a smile of his own.

"Though, now we've got to talk about the other matter we came to talk about."

"What's that?"

"Read the letter," Izuku looked at the letter on the table that Aizawa pointed at. In all the excitement, he forgot there even_ was_ a letter. He unfolded it and began to read it aloud. It was mostly everything he had already been told at first but then he got to the "Recent Changes to U.A." portion.

"Starting this year, we will be shifting from a private school where students live off-campus to a boarding school. All students are expected to comply with this new motion for the continued excellence of their training…" Izuku looked up from the sheet, glaring daggers at Aizawa, "Is this because of me?"

"Yes and no. You're only a part of the reason why we went with this initiative." Izuku began to chuckle at Aizawa's words.

'_Then I think there's a typo on this letter, because I find this is an odd way to write "prison",'_ he thought to himself as he looked at the paper with anger in his eyes, anger that Aizawa could see clearly.

"It was the Board of Directors and Nezu's decision, not mine or Tsukauchi or the police's," Aizawa clarified, not the least bit intimidated, "Trust me, I understand completely how you're feeling about this but it's out of our hands now. There's also the other reasons they did so," he turned to Tsukauchi who let out a sigh of shame.

"We still have no leads on All For One, and there's no point downplaying it; the eyes of the country will be on U.A., especially once the Sports Festival happens in the first week of May," he explained, looking at Izuku with sympathetic eyes, "This was the only way we could at least mitigate the chances of him targeting you again."

Izuku's glare faded but only slightly as he stared at the letter in his hands. It made sense that they needed to keep him safe since Shigaraki and Kurogiri _were_ looking for him when they killed Tai. If he were in a place, surrounded by heroes, including the Number One Hero that defeated All For One before, they wouldn't be stupid enough to try and kidnap him again.

Tsukauchi turned to look at Inko and had to stop himself from bowing his head in more shame. Thankfully, Aizawa had more nerves than he did to ask the question of the hour.

"Mrs. Midoriya, we do need to ask your permission to have your son so will you grant it?"

"Will I grant it?" she was teary-eyed like before but now her tears weren't of joy like before, "How can I agree to this as a mother?" The two men leaned back slightly as she stood from her chair, even Aizawa couldn't help but be slightly afraid of the woman as she spoke without raising her voice once, "I just got my son back after _eleven years_ and just four. Months_. __Later,_ you two show up and have the absolute _nerve_ to show up and ask me, not because he failed but because he succeeded, to hand him back over to you and be separated from my son _again!_" If the two men leaned any further back, they'd risk falling out of the chairs as Inko looked at them with rage-filled eyes, "How do you think that makes me feel, huh? I've had to miss most of my son's life, have him come back home with so many quirks and a past that I wouldn't wish on anyone, let alone him, and now, for his protection, I have to give him up again! What am I supposed to do here?!" her rage started to die down but was replaced with hopeless sadness. Everyone, including Aizawa, looked at her as she cried into her hands, "What kind of horrible mother am I that I have to give up my son again?!" Izuku wrapped his arms around his crying mother before looking at Aizawa with a glare who just responded in kind, incredulous that the boy would imply that this was _his_ fault.

"Then I guess we'll have to compromise," Inko looked up from her hands with confusion. Aizawa pulled out another envelope, "Nezu didn't think you would take the news well so he's willing to offer you something in return," He handed her the letter which she wasted no time opening. She read the first line at the top of the sheet before she gasped. Izuku looked at the sheet himself with wide eyes, shocked by what was being offered by Nezu.

"U.A. Employment Application".

* * *

Izuku stood outside the five-story dormitory for his class. Class 1-A. It was the day before the official move-in date but he was a special case. After all,

"So, Izuku honey, what do you think?" It's not every day your mother is the dormitory caretaker. Inko walked up next to him as she arrived in her new uniform… well kind of. It was just her normal, everyday clothes with a U.A. apron and armband.

"It's incredible though I guess it has to be since it was U.A. that built it," Izuku answered with an impressed smile, "It's wild that an entire class get a dormitory all to itself though,"

"I guess that'll make my job easier since I'll have to be taking care of this place," Inko looked at the highest floor with a mixture of amazement and apprehension, "I just wish I didn't have to climb so many stairs…"

"Well, it's how it turns out," the two turned around but Izuku was surprised by a pair of tiny arms wrapping around his legs.

"I've gotcha, big bro!" Eri said with a brilliant smile as she swayed back and forth, taking her bro with her, "And this time, you're not getting away!"

"Eri, it's _real_ hard to hug you when you won't let me bend my legs…" he said with a pat on the head. Eri acquiesced and let go just long enough for Izuku to get to a knee before she tackled him again, "Geez, I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long!"

"Did you hear?!" She gleefully asked, "We get to stay in the same place again!"

"Yeah and this time, you'll have your own room instead of having to share a storage garage with me." Izuku picked her up to carry her in his arms, "Oh wow, they must be feeding you well," She giggled as Izuku poked her in the stomach before he turned to Inko, who had the brightest smile on her face. Eri slightly hid her face in Izuku's shoulder from the woman she didn't recognize.

"I take it that you're my Izuku's little sister," Inko put her hand out for Eri to shake, "I'm Inko, his mother,"

"Where were you all this time?" Eri asked innocently, taking everyone off-guard and stabbing Inko right through the heart.

'_Is it just me, or has Eri gotten _more _biting in her questions?'_ Izuku thought with an amused smirk as he looked at the guiltiest party named Aizawa who just shrugged, "Sorry, Mom, she doesn't know how to mince words,"

"No, no, it's alright," Inko replied with an uneasy smile, "It's a fair question to ask though I haven't the slightest idea how to answer it,"

"She didn't know where your brother was since he was kidnapped at a young age and only reunited with him last November," Aizawa stated as he walked past the scene and towards the front door of the dormitory.

"Oh! I get it!" Eri shouted as she understood what was said, causing Inko a bit of discomfort. Izuku knew about Eri's past but she didn't.

"Anyway, I'll show you inside," Aizawa unlocked the front door and walked in, with the three following behind him. The common room had green walls, massive windows looking outside, several couches in front of a television on both sides of the common room like a mirror image of itself. Situated in the middle was the kitchen as well as rooms labeled "men's bath" on the left and "women's bath" on the right. "The first floor is a common area, with showers, a kitchen and laundry rooms. The four floors above us are the living quarters with four rooms for each gender on each floor. Since we have fourteen males in the class, that means one extra will be rooming on the same floor as you three. You can see who on the assignments list on the bulletin board." Aizawa explained as he led Izuku to the bulletin board, "From what I hear, he's a familiar face," Izuku looked at the list for the fifth floor and saw his neighbor. "Minoru Mineta" was on his floor but it also meant that his friend had passed the test as well.

"Mino's here too?" Izuku smiled at Eri's question.

"He will be tomorrow but yeah, he'll be here," Izuku turned his attention to the other room assignments, specifically the girls. Ochako Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui were together on the second floor. He heard from his phone calls with them but it was nice to see it in print. Even Iida was on the list and… Bakugou too. Izuku felt himself slump slightly at the news. He also notices that their scores for the entrance exam were also posted which he found to be an odd addition.

"Each room will have its own toilet, A.C. fridges and closets. You three should be comfortable here. You're also allowed to decorate your rooms however you like. We've delivered all the belongings you sent ahead in your rooms so go unpack when you're ready."

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Aizawa," Inko bowed her head with a smile.

"You can thank me by keeping the kids in line when I'm not here," Aizawa said gruffly, "and try not to play favorites with your son here. I'd rather he didn't start thinking he was above the rules again," he said with a glare to Izuku who matched him one, "And I'd rather not have other students complaining about him getting special treatment."

"I'll try not to cause problems for you," Inko extended her hand which Aizawa took to shake on it.

"Good. I'm not going to be here tomorrow when the other students get here so I ask that you relay everything I told you when they arrive," Inko nodded, "If you'll excuse me, I have to finish moving into the faculty dorm," Aizawa turned to walk away before stopping, "And Nezu wants to speak with you both later in his office around four o'clock so don't keep him waiting." With that, Aizawa left the building to the three.

'_Principal Nezu wants to see me? Fine, I needed to talk to him anyway...'_

* * *

After they finished unpacking and getting Eri all set up in her new room, the Midoriyas made their way to Nezu's office, curious as to what he wanted to talk about. As they entered his secretary's office, she looked at them as she was busy with a call, mouthing "knock on the door" before refocusing on the call. Inko went ahead and took her advice.

"Come in!"

"Excuse us, sir!" Inko said through the door before opening it. Nezu was sitting on his couch enjoying a cup of tea with a smile. It widened when he saw who it was that came to see him.

"Good afternoon, you two," Nezu greeted before pouring two cups of tea for the family, "I hope the new accommodations are to your liking." Izuku sat down with his mother, both looking uncomfortable being there for different reasons.

"They were very nice, Principal," Inko agreed with a slightly forced smile.

"Though, it doesn't really help the 'prison' feel that I've been getting ever since I got here," Nezu nodded his head solemnly at Izuku's statement. "Just makes it cushier."

"Yes, I heard from Aizawa that you believe that we've done all this work to imprison you under our watch," Nezu took a sip of his tea before continuing, "I can assure you that there's far more to it than that."

"But you don't deny it."

"To deny it would be to say your interpretation of events is irrelevant," Izuku's glare hardened at the words but Nezu continued, undeterred, "You have to understand it from another point of view. We are a school that has an annual event that is broadcast to the entire country. We have the Symbol of Peace now working as a teacher. This school is going to have the eyes of the nation on it at all times and that means that if you stand out, they'll see you. Whether you like it, or you don't, the fact is this: People are eventually going to know you're here."

"People like Shigaraki and Chisaki, right?" Nezu nodded at Izuku's deduction, "So, I'm being confined to U.A. not to keep me in but to keep others out, right?" Nezu nodded again with a smile.

"We've already taken many steps to increase security, with several of last year's graduates taking on part-time security detail. We have the equivalent of a small army on campus and the Number One Hero is a teacher as well. Even your kidnappers would think twice before trying anything here."

"But these are criminals," Inko reminded him, "We can't be sure they will be deterred by all of this," Nezu looked at his cup with an almost disappointed look.

"I understand but it's the best we can do, I'm afraid. Like it or not, your son is going to be a lightning rod. The amount of favors I've had to call in and work that needed to be done to make all this possible is almost unfathomable," Izuku's face softened as he listened, "I understand you're not happy with the arrangement but, as it stands, this is what needs to happen to ensure _your_ future." The Midoriyas looked at each other, uneasy by Nezu's words. Inko then realized something.

"Is that why you thought to offer me a job, then?" Izuku gasped at the question, not even considering it himself.

"Critical thinking skills must run in the family," Nezu remarked, all but confirming it, "You are someone of great importance to your son, just as Eri is. We couldn't rule out the chance that someone would come for you. Your husband is in a much safer situation considering he's not even in this hemisphere, let alone the country so it's unlikely they'd be able to attack him," The two looked at Nezu, understanding but not all that happy about it.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about, sir?" Inko asked, changing the uncomfortable subject.

"Ah, yes, I just wanted to tell you both something and hear your thoughts on the matter," the two shuffled in their seats in anticipation, "I've taken the liberty of informing the first-year teachers as to your… status as a student here."

"They all know about my probation, then,"

"Indeed, and all have been sworn to secrecy since they also know _why_. All of them have even expressed genuine interest in teaching you so I wouldn't worry about your teachers treating you any differently."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Nezu chuckled a bit at Izuku's skepticism, "Well, I'm not sure what you want me to say since I thought you were going to tell them from the start. It would be bad for you if they found out on their own or something like that, right?"

"Correct. I am in charge of people and trust is a foundation that I must maintain or this school would cease to function from lack of workers and lack of students. I also feel that it will help them identify with you and thus, help you grow here." Nezu looked up at the clock, "Ah, I must cut our meeting short for now. I need to meet with All Might and help explain to him his role in the curriculum."

"No, please, we understand." Inko and her son bowed to the principal before making their way to the door.

"Oh, by the way, my door is always open to you both if you need to talk." Nezu explained with a smile before taking another sip of tea as the two left.

"What do you think, honey?"

"I don't know but it sure seems like he's thought of almost everything,"

"Almost?"

"It's nothing," Izuku reassured her with a smile, "Just nerves acting up."

"You said Katsudon was your favorite dish so how about I make that tonight?" Izuku smiled at the sound of having his favorite food to cheer him up. It was nice having a parent again.

"Thanks, Mom."

* * *

The next morning, a hungry Izuku stepped onto the elevator before hitting the 1F button. He was still bothered by what Nezu had told him but deep down, he had to admit that everything Nezu said was true, even if it was upsetting. His mother would be a target. Then there's the other matter he would have to deal with later. The biggest event of the year is the Sports Festival and it was televised nationally. How was he going to get around _that_ to protect himself and his family? He walked out of the elevator and was nearly floored as the common room was filled with the scents of various spices as it overpowered anything else. He walked into the kitchen to see his mother slaving over a giant pot of food.

"Whatcha making, Mom?" Izuku asked as he looked into the light brown of the soupy mixture. He could feel his mouth starting to water as he took another big whiff.

"Dinner for the new arrivals!" she answered with a warm smile, "I want to make a good first impression with all your classmates since I'll be in charge of the dorm."

"You're making soup?"

"There will be other dishes but this needs to be cooked slowly for the best results," She answered as she used her quirk to pull a lid towards her hand and set in on the pot.

"Well, I'm sure they'll love it if it tastes half as good as it smells, Mom!" Izuku heard the front door open up. He poked his head out of the kitchen to see Iida arrive with Ochako, Tsuyu and Minoru in tow.

"I'm just saying, I don't get his plot at all," Minoru said to Tsuyu, "His plot revolves around this one woman surviving all these death traps and if one thing goes wrong, it all falls to shi-"

"Izu!" Ochako shouted, cutting off Minoru as all four turned to look.

"Hey guys, wasn't expecting you to come in with Iida,"

"Well, the campus just opened up for new arrivals about twenty minutes ago and we wanted to be here early so we could see you!" Tsuyu said with a smile.

"And Glasses arrived here because he wanted to be early 'because that's what model students do' or whatever," Minoru added in a mocking attempt at Iida's voice causing Iida to turn and point at him.

"My name is Tenya Iida and I sound nothing like that!"

"That's nice. So?"

"Both of you, please stop," Izuku begged with a face palm.

"Mm, what's that smell?" Ochako asked as she and Tsuyu walked to the kitchen.

"Haven't a clue. Mom's making a big pot of… something,"

"Wait, 'Mom'? Your mother's here?" Iida asked, confused.

"Oh, right, you're not part of our group chat so you wouldn't know. My mom is working as our dorm's caretaker. She's in charge of the building when our homeroom teacher isn't around."

"Really?" Iida asked, surprised, "I wasn't aware that family members were allowed to work so closely with their family,"

"I wouldn't worry about it. Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Aizawa, already talked to her about it,"

"Ah, it's reassuring that I'm not the only one who sees a potential problem here…" Iida suddenly realized what he was saying and immediately panicked, "Ah, I'm sorry! I spoke out of turn and accused your mother of favoritism!" Izuku started laughing at Iida's embarrassed face.

"It's fine, I know what you're trying to say," Izuku then turned to the bulletin board, "Our room assignments are on the board over there. If you sent some stuff ahead, it'll be in that room,"

"Thank you, Midoriya," Iida said with a smile before walking over to see where he was staying. Izuku walked back into the kitchen so he didn't see the look on Iida's face when he saw the entrance exam scores.

'_He got first place with 103 points? I didn't even break 70 with my score…'_ Iida could hear Izuku and his friends laughing about something, _'He really did understand the exam's secret scoring. And he wasn't the only one. Ochako Uraraka has the same score as him with even more rescue points. I didn't even have nine of those and they blew me out of the water because of it...'_

* * *

"Holy crap, you still have this?" Izuku asked as he pulled the head of a manikin from one of Minoru's boxes, "I didn't think you still sowed since I heard you hated it so much."

"Yeah, well, that was before I found out I'm stuck being short forever. Do you know how hard it is to get clothes for a midget?" Minoru countered as he grabbed the head out of Izuku's hand, "Only little kids clothes fit me and all of 'em suck! They're all childish and don't have the right… look for me. Custom tailoring is also pretty expensive. I can _literally_ do better myself for way less money, as you and Eri know."

"I know it," Izuku agreed with a smile, "You saved me a lot of money on clothes."

"Because I can afford to sell at cost for a friend. Still, I can't believe we get a whole floor to ourselves!"

"I think Aizawa just wants to keep you away from everyone else."

"Oh, come on, he can't have me pegged that quickly, All Might fanboy," Minoru bit back jokingly

* * *

"Oh. My. God," Ochako said as she walked into her room in awe at how spacious it was, "It's as big as my house!"

"I wouldn't call that closet you live in a house, Ocha," Tsuyu quipped, earning a small giggle from her friend as she walked into her room.

"There's so much room that I don't even know what to put in here…"

"How much did you bring?" Tsuyu saw a lone box sitting in the middle of the room with a suitcase full of clothes.

"I sometimes forget just how rough your living situation is, ribbit."

"Not all of us can be daughters of well-off parents, you know," Ochako remarked with envy as she followed Tsuyu to her room, "Anyway, how much did you bring?"

"Not much," Tsuyu opened the door to reveal about five boxes worth of things, exasperating Ochako.

"Geez, 'not much', she says. Did you take your whole room with you?"

"I left the bed," she remarked, earning a face palm in response.

* * *

After a while, more and more of the other members of Class 1-A started to arrive. Inko was busy shifting from cooking to greeting the students while everyone one else was busy unpacking. The last person to arrive was a blond male with a glare permanently affixed to his face.

"Well, hello there, Katsuki," Bakugou nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. He turned to face the green-haired woman with a look of shock, "I see that Mitsuki didn't tell you I work here now."

"No, the old hag didn't tell me a thing," He said in a low, vaguely calm voice.

"You really shouldn't be calling your mother such things, Katsuki," Bakugou scoffed before continuing.

"Why are you working here?"

"They need caretakers for the dorms and I was offered a job here," Inko said, leaving out the major details, which earned a skeptical glare from Bakugou, "I'm sorry, but I can't say much more than that right now,"

"Fine, whatever. Not my problem anyway," he said as he walked over to the bulletin board to find his room assignment. He then saw the scores for the entrance exam. He was pissed he ended up in third, likely because of that hidden rule All Might was talking about, so he decided to see who he had to crush under his feet. _'Ochako Uraraka? Some bitch no one cares about and…'_ Bakugou's face fell as he saw the name just under the girl,_ 'Izuku Midoriya?!'_

"Hey, Mom?" Bakugou looked over his shoulder to see Izuku walk up to his mother, holding some gray-haired brat he didn't care about. Suddenly, it all came back to him, "Do you know if we've got any snacks for Eri?"

"I keep them in the fridge in my room so Eri doesn't gorge herself on them." Inko's phone began to ring, "Sorry, I have to take this," she said as she walked outside. Bakugou didn't care though since he was staring death into the boy in front of him.

He remembered this sniveling, useless insect of a boy with that name. No, that wasn't his name, since he had one that was much more appropriate for a worthless piece of human trash…

"You…" Izuku turned to look at Bakugou, "Deku!"

Izuku suddenly felt a massive pain in his head at the cry, as if it was splitting open, causing him to drop Eri to the floor as he grabbed both side of his head in agony. It was the pain he felt back in the interrogation room when he saw the picture of his mother. He soon lost track of what was going on around him as more memories flooded in.

"_Why are you being so mean? You're making him cry, Kacchan! If you keep hurting him, I'll… I'll stop you myself" A scared Izuku shouted at his friend, who just smiled at the declaration._

"_Hmph, you think you can play the hero?" He punched his open hand, causing a small explosion to erupt, "You don't stand a chance without a quirk, _Deku._" A few minutes later, the quirkless Izuku laid on the ground, beaten to a pulp._

_Another memory of Izuku following Kacchan on an adventure, where he destroyed a log that was in the way with his quirk._

"_Wow, Kacchan! I hope when I get my quirk it'll be as cool as yours!"_

"_Yeah, right! It doesn't matter what quirk you get, Deku. It'll never be as good as mine."_

As more memories began to flood in, Izuku finally became aware of what was going on around him. Namely, a shouting match between Ochako and Bakugou as Tsuyu, Minoru and Eri all looked at him with concerned and scared looks on their faces.

"Leave him alone!"

"Stay out of this, Round-Face before I make it Flat-Face!"

"STOP IT, KACCHAN!" Izuku shouted, causing everyone in the room to be silent as he unsteadily stood up.

"...What did you call me?" Bakugou asked in surprise before it turned to rage, "What the hell did you say?!"

"KATSUKI!" Bakugou stopped in his tracks as Inko walked in, angry at his shouting, "Enough!"

"Tsk, fine, hide behind your mom. But we aren't done here, Deku. We. Aren't. Done." Bakugou threatened as he made his way up the stairs to his room.

"You okay, Bro?"

"What happened?"

"What's a 'Deku'?"

"Some more memories came back and it felt like my head was being squeezed in a press." Izuku gripped his head as the world spun, having to lean on Tsuyu for support, "I remembered who he was now… everything's come back to me… He was my best friend when I was a little kid… Though I guess that means I had poor taste in friends when I was little," Izuku looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact, "'Deku'... it means 'useless', like the quirkless kid I was."

"I'll have to have a talk with him later," Inko sighed with a sad look as she had to go to the kitchen to check on that night's dinner. Ochako balled her fist, irate about how her friend was treated.

"Hey guys, I don't feel well… I think I need to lay down." His friends nodded as they helped him up to his room. Izuku walked in and promptly passed out the second he hit the mattress...

He wouldn't be down for dinner that night.

* * *

**A/N: Does anyone actually read these things? I'd like to know.**

**First, and I know this sounds weird, but if you think something is wrong with this story and should be fixed, don't be afraid to say something. I can handle constructive criticism.**

**I was going to do an April Fools bit but I decided against it. It would probably end with Bakugou getting his legs snapped by Uraraka or Mineta going on a date with Yaoyorozu or something stupid like that. One or the other really.**

**Also, full disclosure, the next chapter is done by the way. It was actually because I wrote them together as one chapter and ended up with a monster of text that easily eclipsed all the other chapters in this story. So... No hiatus, I guess. Next chapter on the 15th as scheduled.**

**In any case, I'm still looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested. Though, judging by the lack of takers, this is a fool's errand if there ever was one. Not helping is the fact the world seems to have gone mad around us and everyone is scared of everyone else. What a time to be alive...**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and/or just showed up. I've said it before but it really does mean a lot.**

**Sal out!**


	10. Ch 10: Unorthodox

**Ch. 10: Unorthodox**

Ochako sat down at a table in the common room with Minoru, Tsuyu and Eri as they ate their dinner… or at least tried. Miso pork soup, with freshly baked honey-glazed rolls on the side and a bowl of teriyaki beef over rice was all Ochako could be bothered to grab as her worry for her friend overpowered her hunger. The same could be said for Eri as Tsu basically had to coax her into actually touching her food. Minoru seemed to be the least concerned as he readily devoured his meal.

"Eri, come on," Tsu pleaded, "You have to eat,"

"What about bro?" she asked, anxiety filling her voice, "Is he okay?"

"Considering what I heard when I passed by his room on the way down, I'd say he's fine,"

"...'What you heard'?"

"Let it be known, Izuku snores," Minoru leaned in towards the girls, "like… _bad_. Like, I can hear him in _my room_, bad."

"Oh, so _that's _why you slept on the living room floor!" Ochako thought back to when they stayed the night at the Midoriyas.

"How Eri spent a year and a half with _that_ is beyond me considering I couldn't last five minutes."

"Well, at least we can be assured that he's breathing but…"

"You're worried about his new memories involving Boomstick, right?" Ochako nodded as she sampled her soup.

"Mmh, her cooking is still amazing," she muttered, causing the others to snicker, "Izu said that Bakugou was his best friend but what friend calls another 'useless'?"

"And then, years later, tries to attack him in front of witnesses?" Tsu added, a bit unnerved by his willingness to hurt others.

"What kinda hero school lets that in? The guy must have been a troublemaker in middle school and yet he was let in? Is it just me, or does something seem fishy about that?" the others nodded as Eri suddenly moved out of her chair to hide under the table.

"Eri?"

"May I sit with you all?" Ochako looked to see that Iida from earlier had arrived with a tray of his own food. He seemed apprehensive, even a bit nervous. Minoru just shrugged as Tsu tried to coax Eri out from under the table.

"Sure, Iida, but try not to sit too close to Eri. She doesn't like strangers,"

"A-Ah, I see," Iida stammered out as he took a seat next to Ochako, "I've actually been meaning to ask but why is she here?" Ochako looked around and saw that quite a few of the other students were looking their way before quickly turning away from them.

"Oh, it's because Mrs. Midoriya and Zuku are here," Minoru explained quickly, as if he had prepared the lie beforehand.

"Ah, so is she his sister then?"

"Yep, that's exactly right!" Ochako nervously agreed, though Minoru had to sigh from how bad her acting was.

"I mean, what are they going to do, throw her out onto the streets?" Tsu added as she finally managed to bring Eri back up, looking at Iida with immediate suspicion.

"Is he here for my blood?" she asked, causing Iida to nearly choke on his soup. Ochako began slapping his back to help him cough it back up.

"I-I… excuse me, what?"

"No, Eri, he's not here for your blood. He's our classmate and he's here to become a hero like your bro," Tsu rubbed Eri's head softly, "Same as everyone else here."

"Okay… but I still don't like him," Eri added, shocking Iida again.

"Hey, that's cool. I don't like him either," Minoru added with a smirk, earning a glare from Tsu and a giggle from Ochako. Iida, however, was beginning to feel that his life at U.A. wasn't going to be exactly what he thought it was.

* * *

Izuku opened his eyes to see nothing but black, empty darkness. The throbbing pain in his head was gone and was replaced with a bunch of his memories of Bakugou and all the times they spent together when they were little. He was warm and cozy from the comforter lying over him. He was soon able to recognize the dark room as his dorm room as he sat up to turn the nearby All Might lamp on. His eyes burned at the sudden light as he took a look at his phone. It was a little after eleven at night so everyone would be asleep by now.

It also meant he had been asleep for over seven hours now. He sighed as he wondered what he was going to do about tomorrow. He was obviously going to be questioned by his friends, his mother, maybe even Aizawa too while they were at it. He did want to talk to them about it to hopefully deal with this heavy feeling in his stomach, but what would he say? The memories are just four-year-olds being four… for the most part.

'_Deku, huh?'_ Izuku thought with a sad chuckle, as he added to the list of life events he's had, _'I had a terrible best friend who treated me like dirt, diagnosed quirkless in a world of superpowers, I was kidnapped to be a science experiment by a supervillain, my only parent for five years was killed by a villain who hasn't discovered the wonders of moisturizer, became a thief who steals money and traumatized children to find him and I'm being held prisoner at the greatest hero school in Japan run by a badger-looking dude in a suit. What a life I'm living. About the only thing I had going right for me was Eri, Ochako, Tsu, and Minoru and Mom..."_ Izuku looked down at his phone and did some quick math in his head. It was eleven now but in San Francisco it would be a little after seven in the morning.

Maybe there _was_ someone awake he could talk to. Izuku quickly dialed the number his mother gave him and waited anxiously, not really expecting anyone to pick up.

"_Hello?"_ Izuku's breath hitched in his throat as someone picked up. He took a deep breath before answering.

"D-Dad?" He stuttered out, nervous. This was only the second time they talked and the first time in six months.

"_Izuku?" _Hisashi asked in surprise.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I-it's me."

"_Well, this is a pleasant surprise," _He said cheerfully, helping to ease Izuku's nerves, _"What's up? It's been a while."_

"I… I just need to talk with someone and everyone's asleep right now…"

"_I just got up myself, believe it or not. I'm free to talk if you need it,"_ Izuku sighed heavily as he laid back down on the bed.

"I ran into Kacchan today and found out he's in my class,"

"_Kacchan?"_

"Katsuki Bakugou?"

"_Bakugou…?"_ Izuku could hear a slap on the other line, _"Oh, Mitsuki's kid? Completely forgot she had a kid,"_ Izuku had to stifle a chuckle.

"I remember overhearing her a while ago saying something about hating you."

"_That I'm a man who should be working closer to home with his wife and son, yeah, I get it. It's pretty much her catchphrase, I've heard it so much."_

"She's not wrong,"

"_Oh, I know she's not wrong. She's right, in fact,"_ Hisashi admitted, _"I personally wanted us to move to the States when you were born but your mother was against it. She believed it would be better for you that you grew up in Japan."_

"Yeah, well… I guess things didn't pan out..." Izuku muttered wistfully. Hisashi could be heard leaning back into a creaky chair.

"_I still remember the call I received from Inko when you went missing…"_ He revealed with pain in his voice from having to remember the day his son vanished,_ "You have no idea how happy I am that you're safe and sound again."_

"For now, anyway," Izuku replied cynically. Sure, he was safe _for now_ but that could change real fast, real soon.

"_Don't talk like that. It's bad for my heart," _Hisashi replied with a weary sigh, _"Anyway, what's this about Bakugou?"_

"Well… you know how I'm missing a lot of memories?"

"_Yes, Inko mentioned it a little after you came home."_

"Well, I got a few more back today when Kacchan called me by the nickname he used to call me," Hisashi hummed for Izuku to continue as the boy placed a hand to his forehead, "I remember… standing up to him and a few other kids after they were bullying this one kid with his quirk and getting beaten up for it. I remember going on adventures with him and this one time, he fell off a log and I went down to help him. He seemed… angry about that but it's still a bit foggy for me. Certain parts of the memories are still clear to me but others... are like I'm looking at them through muddy waters."

Hisashi didn't respond right away, only giving a small "Hmm…" to tell Izuku that he was listening. After a few more seconds of tense silence, he finally spoke again.

"_So… what do you think of all this?"_

"Well… personally, I… It feels right now like there's two parts of me," Izuku confessed as he sat up, "One that wants to be friends with Kacchan again… and the other that wants him as far away from me as possible."

"_Understandable. What happened after you got your memories back?"_

"He tried to attack me," Izuku said blankly, causing the sound of spewed coffee to come through the other line.

"_WHAT?!" _Hisashi exclaimed in shock and rage,_ "Was he expelled?!"_

"I don't know, I've been asleep since then," Izuku responded in surprise from his father's reaction, "But Mom just said she was going to talk with him about it,"

"_Oh, I hope he got forty lashes from the Inko whip!"_ Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at his dad's anger.

"You sound more upset about it than I do,"

"_Of course, I'm upset. What father wouldn't be?"_ Hisashi argued emphatically. _"If you want my advice, you'll either need to find a way to work around him or earn his respect if he hasn't been expelled yet,"_

"Huh?"

"_Izuku, you're in a situation where it's not possible to avoid interacting with others,"_ Hisashi stressed solemnly, _"You're a hero-in-training learning with people you very well may have to work with. It's better you figure out how you're going to handle him now while there aren't lives on the line."_

"I get that but…" Izuku stopped himself. He knew his dad was right but it didn't help matters all that much.

"_Ah damn, I need to get ready for work."_ Izuku's heart sank a little. While his dad did help a little, there was still more he wanted to talk about,_ "Why don't we continue this conversation another time?"_

"Okay, Dad. I'll make more of an effort to call you from now on,"

"_I'll be looking forward to it. Love you, Son,"_

"Love you too, Dad," Izuku hung up the phone before being left with his thoughts. He took a deep breath as he felt like a bit of the weight on his chest had lifted but it was all the way gone yet. At the very least, he could tell his dad wasn't a deadbeat or something like that. He walked over to his desk and eyed his current project. He needs to find a way around Bakugou, hmm? The best way to start was the way he was most comfortable with.

Quirk Analysis.

* * *

Ochako walked down the steps to the common room, letting out a loud yawn as she did.

'_The dorms are nice and all but I'm not used to sleeping here,'_ she thought tiredly as she wiped her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she spied Izuku eating some leftover dinner they saved for him while writing feverishly in his notebook.

"His quirk lets him sweat nitroglycerin from his palms so facing him in a group would be ill-advised." Izuku mumbled, completely oblivious to Ochako's presence as she walked up. "I'm not sure how much it's grown but most likely it's enough to cause major damage to a wide area if he could get that many villain points on the exam. It may also be possible that he could sustain flight if he could produce enough nitro quickly enough. I'd need a chance to actually see it in action to make more accurate judgements to his power."

"Izu, what are you doing?"

"Gah!" Izuku screeched as he fell out of his chair, knocking his soup over onto himself and the floor, "Ah… God damn it,"

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Ochako quickly ran towards the kitchen, "I'll get some paper towels!" When she returned, Izuku had already changed into clean lounge pants and a t-shirt while holding the soiled clothes he was wearing in his hands as he picked up the knocked over soup bowl. "I sometimes envy you with how useful your quirk is,"

"Targeted Warp is so handy that I feel I'd be lost without it. It's too bad I can't move liquid with it since I just stained the carpets with miso."

"I'm sorry I surprised you," she handed him the paper towels, "With you, I didn't think anything could get the jump on you like I did." Izuku and Ochako quickly did what they could before Izuku walked over to a storage closet and brought back some powdered carpet cleaner. "How did you know we had that?"

"Mom's the caretaker, remember?" After cleaning up the mess together, the two sat down at the table, looking at Izuku's Quirk Notebook with glasses of water for both of them.

"You're thinking about Bakugou, huh?" She worriedly said as she looked over his notes again.

"Kinda hard to think about anything else," Izuku scratched his head as he groaned, "All these memories I had as a kid, some clear as yesterday, some so foggy it's like looking through frosted glass. Some good, a lot bad. All of it, a bit overwhelming."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now. Minoru and Tsu aren't here and I know they'll ask," Izuku turned to her and gave her the best smile he could manage, "We'll talk in the morning. I should be ready to tell you guys about it then."

"Okay, we'll hold you to it," Ochako stood up, taking her glass in hand, "Just, don't try and plan to fight him anymore."

"I'm not planning to fight him," Izuku shook his head, "I'm preparing in case I _have_ to."

* * *

Aizawa crawled into the 1-A common room the next day in his sleeping bag as it was filled with chatter as everyone just hung around, getting to know each other but in small groups of three or four. He counted 18 in total, missing only the spiky blond Bakugou, and the recommended student, Todoroki. Izuku noticed him slide in and gave him a confused look before he returned to talking with his friends over something that seemed uncomfortable to the boy. A part of him was curious at what they were talking about but first…

***BWAAAAAAAAAAA* **They needed to be introduced to how things work here. The sound of an air horn blared out through the common room, surprising everyone as they all turned to look at the scruffy caterpillar on the floor.

"Only one of you noticed that I entered the room after I laid here for ten seconds in a bright yellow sleeping bag," Aizawa began as everyone gathered around the disheveled man as he got out of said sleeping bag, "Yeah, that's not going to work. Heroes, at the very least, have to be aware of their surroundings, or they could end up stabbed in broad daylight." Everyone just stared on with bewildered looks on their faces except the one student who knew who he was. Aizawa tossed the horn to Izuku before continuing, "My name is Shouta Aizawa, your homeroom teacher." Aizawa felt a twinge of amusement when the class reacted with various levels of shock from hearing that the hobo in front of them was their teacher. He then pulled a blue gym uniform with a U and A on the jacket and pants out from the bag, "Each of you should have received one of these. Put them on, and meet me over at the field east of the main building in ten minutes. Someone, go and get Bakugou and Todoroki while you're at it. This is mandatory for all of you," Aizawa then walked out, leaving nothing but confusion in his wake.

"And just like that, he leaves like you or me, sleeping bag and all," Tsuyu dryly joked, trying to shatter the uneasiness of the room.

"That guy's our teacher?" Kaminari, a blond with a black streak in the shape of a lightning bolt, asked, completely lost on what happened.

"Yep, and I don't want to find out what happens if we don't listen," Izuku replied as he walked over to the elevator to go to his room, "I have a feeling it wouldn't be anything good."

* * *

"What? A quirk assessment test?" the class shouted in unison. It was nearly midday now as the sun was halfway down the sky.

"But school doesn't start till tomorrow!" Ochako pointed out.

"You all arrived yesterday so you've had more than enough time to settle in," Aizawa countered with his back to the class, "If you want to make it in the big leagues, you can't afford to waste any time," The class grew quiet and apprehensive. "Here at U.A., the teachers are not bound by silly things like traditions and are allowed to run the class however they like, with no real restrictions. Put it another way, I make all of the rules and you will follow them, or else," Izuku looked at the class around him. Some gasped at the knowledge that their teacher had so much power over them while the more level headed students stood firm, unafraid.

"Quite an unorthodox method of teaching…" Izuku could hear Iida mutter under his breath. He was used to Aizawa's shenanigans by now but he knew that the man didn't make idle threats.

"You've all taken standardized tests most of your lives," he held up a phone, showing eight events listed on it, "But you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before. The country's still trying to tell people that we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's irrational, counterproductive, and idiotic and we can only hope that the Ministry of Education will figure that out sometime this decade but I won't hold my breath," Aizawa spoke with clear contempt for the aversion of progress by the world. He turned to look at Izuku, "Midoriya, you scored the highest in the entrance exam," He could also hear some of his classmates behind him muttering between themselves, though he couldn't make out anything specific. Bakugou turned to look at him, angry at being reminded of the fact. Izuku saw this out of the corner of his eye but ignored him. Aizawa also happened to notice but put the thought away before continuing. He pulled out a ball and lobbed it to Izuku, "You'll stand in the circle behind me and throw that ball twice. Once without your quirk for a baseline, the second with it."

"Wait, sir," Iida spoke up, "Why does he need to throw it twice? Can't he just use his junior high score for a baseline?" Izuku internally sighed at the question though Aizawa answered without missing a beat.

"To visually show you what I'm talking about."

"..."

"..."

"I understand completely, sir!" Iida finally spoke with more robotic hand gestures, causing almost everyone else to nearly fall over themselves.

'_Well, he gave up easily!'_ Izuku thought with a chuckle as he tagged the ball and walked into the circle, a bit nervous as everyone's attention was drawn to him.

"Whenever you're ready," Izuku nodded before winding up to throw and launching the ball as far as he could.

"Sixty-two meters," Aizawa said aloud as he showed the read-out to the class, "Now you'll see the difference in ability when you apply your quirks. Midoriya," Izuku summoned the ball back and this time, instead of throwing it, the ball just vanished from his hand with a pop. "Okay, maybe _a bit_ extreme of an example but..." When Aizawa showed the screen again, jaws hit the floors, "I think you can understand the concept."

"_400 KILOMETERS?!_" Kirishima, a boy with spiky red hair and sharp teeth shouted in awe. Izuku gave a shy smile as his friends started chuckling amongst themselves as everyone stared. Bakugou, however, was fuming.

He hadn't seen Deku in years but he was told he was quirkless. Then he just shows up out of nowhere, takes his top spot in the entrance exam, _and he can just warp things?!_

'_Wait… warping? H-He's the gray-haired bastard from that slime asshole! He was missing all this time while Auntie Inko was freaking out over him and yet he was just fine?! What the hell is going on?!' _Bakugou had seen enough, "DEKU!" Izuku and everyone else turned to look at the blond as he screamed, "You've got some explaining to do!" Bakugou shouted as small explosions roared from his fingers before they were suddenly stopped. He looked at his hand in surprise before he was quickly bound by Aizawa and his scarf.

"Really? Two incidents in two days?" Bakugou looked at Aizawa as his hair stood straight up and red eyes stared him down, "You really want to be expelled _that_ badly?"

"Where'd my quirk go?" Bakugou shouted as he struggled against the capture scarf. "And why the hell is this scarf so strong?!"

"I erased it. As long as I'm looking at you, your quirk doesn't exist. That's _my_ quirk," Aizawa stated as he glared at Bakugou, "As for the scarf, it's a special capture weapon made of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy. Don't make me have to use my quirk. It gives me dry eye."

"That power's amazing!" The class shouted in unison at Aizawa's quirk.

"You're wasting time. Step back in line or leave and don't come back. I don't care which," Bakugou glared at Aizawa as he was released from the tape before walking back to the group. Izuku sighed. It wouldn't be good to get into a fight before the year even started. "Now, back to what I was talking about," Aizawa pulled out the phone again and showed the two scores side by side, "All of you need to know your maximum capabilities as it's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero, as well the type of pro you should strive to become."

"Oh wow, I want to go! That looks like fun!" Ashido cried out.

"We get to use our quirks as much as we want? Awesome!" Sero, a boy with giant, cylinder elbows, exclaimed excitedly. Though Izuku just sighed. They didn't know that Aizawa doesn't do things because it's fun.

"It looks like fun?" He said just loud enough to be heard. "You have three years to become a hero and you think this will be all parties and games?" He then gave a sinister smirk to the crowd, "Idiots. Today you'll be taking part in eight tests. The one in last place will be judged as hopeless and immediately thrown out of the hero course." The class gasped in horror at the ultimatum being thrown their way. "Like I said, this is my class and I decide how it's run, understand? If you have a problem with that, I'm sure it's nice in the general studies course." Izuku surveyed his classmates as he took his place among them. Everyone seemed at least a little nervous except for Yaoyorozu, the red- and white-haired boy with a scar over his left eye Todoroki, and Bakugou. It would figure that the most confident people in the class would look at this with an almost eerie calm about them. Ochako was about to speak up but Izuku stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and wink.

'_Don't worry, it'll be fine.'_ Ochako looked at him, concerned but ultimately sighed and decided to trust him.

"Is it really fair to throw one of us out before school even started?" she said under her breath but Aizawa heard her all the same.

"It's not but neither are villains, natural disasters or cataclysms. The world is full of unfairness and it's our jobs as heroes to combat that unfairness. You want to be a pro? You'll need to give everything you've got and then give even more. For the next three years, we'll be throwing one terrible hardship after another at you. So, go beyond. Plus ultra. Show me that it wasn't a mistake to let you in here." He smirked as he waved for the class to bring it. Iida pulled out a sports bottle full of orange juice before taking a quick drink.

'_So, this is how the greatest hero course in the country is run. I must admit, it's beyond anything I could have ever thought of but I have no choice but to go along with it.'_

'_I'll blow these nerds out of the water, including that filthy worm Deku,' _Bakugou and Izuku shared a glance, neither one willing to back down.

"Now that we're all understanding each other, let the games begin."

* * *

**First Event: 50 Meter Dash:**

"Hey, Iida," Izuku said as he extended a friendly hand for a shake, "Good luck out there!'

"Ah, to you a-" Iida was about to shake before he remembered Izuku's quirk and looked at Izuku with an unamused glare.

"I almost got you, didn't I?" Izuku put on a bright smile as the two lined up, ready to run. Iida had to stop himself from smiling, lest he give Izuku the pleasure of thinking he's funny.

"Runners, on your marks," the camera at the end of track said, "Ready?" ***Bang*** Izuku warped a rock into both hands and threw one as hard as he could with Body Burst, warped to it, threw the other one and warped to it and managed to cross the finish line, though not before Iida blew past him.

Iida: 3.04 seconds.

Midoriya: 3.99 seconds.

"Aheh heh, just edged out four seconds…" Izuku said with a chuckle as he walked up to Iida. "You really are _fast_, Iida,"

"If this was longer than 50 meters, I could have gotten up to fourth gear but as it stands, this is my best."

"Oh, so you need more acceleration then," Izuku asked with interest as his notebook came into his hand.

"If you two are done, move aside for the others." Aizawa ordered without looking up from his phone.

"Yes sir!" the two yelled, stepping out of the way for everyone else.

The rest of the class did what they could with what they had with mixed results.

Ochako lightened her clothes and her body and sprinted with One For All: 4.02. Aizawa raised an eyebrow at the score. _'Making herself lighter did _that_ much? Something's... off about this girl,'_ He quickly filed the run away for later and returned to watching the tests.

Tsuyu hopped her way down the course: 5.58.

Minoru threw his grapes at the ground where he would land and bounced his way down: 5.51. He then got really snooty about beating Tsuyu at something before she threatened to slap him with her tongue.

Bakugou merely used his explosions to propel himself: 4.04. He then could be heard screaming for not being fast enough.

Todoroki made a giant ice wall and had it push him down the course: 3.74. Even Iida was impressed at the level of speed that the ice user could produce.

Yaoyorozu, however, pushed the limits of acceptability as she pulled a _moped out of her stomach_. Aizawa took one look at it before pressing the button to begin the test: 4.37.

Izuku, sitting on the ground with notebook in hand, made sure to write down each and every observation he could about his classmates and their quirks.

* * *

**Second Event: Grip Strength**

Shoji, a student with six arms webbed together by skin, with three hands, gripped the small device as hard as he could getting a score of 540kg.

"Geez, Shoji, want to leave some hope for the rest of us?" Minoru said as he stared at the read-out, lamenting his meager 48kg,

"I know, you're such a beast!" Sero exclaimed in awe.

"Holy crap, Uraraka! Is that even legal?!" The boys looked at the bashful Ochako and a shocked but invisible Hagakure, holding up a reading of 999kg, impressing everyone. She had placed the sensor between her fingers on the floor and merely increased the gravity of her body, which caused her to max out the sensor as it was sandwiched between her fingers and her palm. The class turned to Aizawa.

"I'll allow it," he said, causing the group to gather around her in amazement as she got up from the floor, leaving a small divot in the floor where her extremely heavy body used to be.

"Haha… I guess I'm stronger than I look… heh heh…" she nervously tried backing away slowly as everyone looked at the score. Tsuyu tried to match it but could only get a grip strength of 220kg with her tongue.

"Aw. I wanted to beat Ocha at something… ribbit..." she said in her usual monotone, betraying her disappointment.

'_She put the sensor between two impossibly heavy objects and let gravity do the rest to trick the test. That was a clever move she pulled,'_ Aizawa thought as he looked at her score._ 'Even if it had nothing to do with her grip, she found a way to max out the device. A creative solution to increase her score. Not bad at all.'_

* * *

**Third Event: Standing Long Jump**

Bakugou flew over it like he did the first event. Aoyama, a blond boy with a princely haircut and seemingly permanent sparkle around him used his laser to fly as well. Then Izuku monkey-barred his way across by throwing his rocks upward, warping his way to them and doing that repeatedly until he crossed the sandbox. Ochako jumped using her zero gravity, Tsuyu just cleared it in one hop and Minoru shot himself over it with his grapes as bounce pads… only to completely fail the landing and smashing into the ground, face first.

* * *

**Fourth Event: Repeated Side Steps**

Minoru created two walls of grapes to his left and right before jumping into one, hand first. He then started bouncing back and forth rapidly while T-posing so his bare hands hit first and his clothes didn't stick.

"Behold, as I dominate the scoreboard!" he shouted, confident that this one was his to win. Izuku walked up next to him with a smirk to take his turn and just marked both boxes and started warping between the two at a faster pace than Minoru. "Oh, now you're just showing off!" he angrily shouted. The pace started to slow from overuse just before the timer ran out, with Izuku having to take a deep breath afterward. Izuku turned to his friend and gave him another smirk.

"Sorry about that, Minoru, but I think I've still got you beat."

* * *

**Fifth Event: Ball Throw**

Izuku sat this one out since he already "threw" the ball into the next town over so in exchange, he got relegated to ball retrieval duties. Tsuyu and Iida both had the same idea, kicking the softball for 156 and 321 meters respectively. Minoru, taking inspiration from the two, began wrapping the ball in his grapes before kicking it, launching it about 120 meters, though it, of course, had no bounce once it got back to the ground. Bakugou, however, blew them all out of the water, letting off a huge blast in his throw, causing the ball to land 705 meters away. Bakugou had a wild grin as he walked away, content with the result. He stared at Izuku as if demanding him to top that without his warp. Izuku ignored him and refocused on his other classmates. He chuckled a little as Ochako eventually walked up to throw. He looked at Aizawa and wondered if he also knew exactly what was going to happen. Ochako pressed her fingers to the ball, wound up and threw it, watching the ball sail away into the sky. And sail, and sail, and sail, until no one could even see it anymore. Aizawa just looked away from the sky at his phone and showed it to the class, completely unfazed by what was caught on it.

"Infinity?!" the class shouted in disbelief. Ochako released the ball but Aizawa noticed that it didn't seem to be coming down.

"Midoriya, get the ball back from orbit, will ya?" Aizawa ordered, only for Izuku to shake his head.

"It doesn't work like that," Izuku corrected, "I have to know _exactly_ where it is to warp it to me."

"So, it's stuck up there?" Aizawa rubbed his tired eyes as Ochako simply pushed her index fingers together, embarrassed that she sent the ball into space.

"Well, if you want to give me a telescope to find it, I might," Without warning, Yaoyorozu appeared next to him, holding one.

"Here you go, Midoriya," She said in a sweet voice which did nothing to stop Izuku from being surprised at being handed an actual telescope.

"I-wait, what?!" Izuku cried out in shock as he held the object in his hands. He looked around to place it somewhere but he noticed that a crowd had started to form over by the fence line. "What's going on?"

"Looks like we have an audience." Iida remarked, "They arrived a couple minutes after Bakugou threw his pitch so they were probably wondering what that explosion was," He continued before recognizing one of the members of the crowd. A giant of a man with white hair and a fang-filled frown on his face wearing a red jumpsuit with two tubes running out from his back into his gauntlets. "Isn't that the hero, Vlad King?"

"Yeah, he's supposed to be the homeroom teacher of Class 1-B if I remember right," Izuku answered his friend. Aizawa walked over to the fence, out of his student's earshot. Well, most of them. Jirou placed one of her jacks into the ground, allowing her to listen in.

"Can I help you, Vlad?" Aizawa asked, uninterested in dealing with this.

"What do you think you're doing, Eraser?" Vlad asked, tone irritated. Aizawa eyebrow quirked upwards at the question, as if it should be plainly obvious what he was doing.

"Watching my class throw softballs into space," Aizawa stated matter-of-factly, "Is there a problem?"

"You know that classes don't start till-"

"Yes, and I don't care. They're all here now and that means they're ready to learn. Besides, the sooner I have some workable data on these brats, the easier it'll be in the long run," He then gestured to the students surrounding Vlad, "If you've come to complain about my class getting ahead of yours, you don't have to wait until the school year 'starts' to get your students ready." Vlad scoffed before speaking to his class.

"Class, change of plans, we'll be doing our own tests." He began to walk away, beckoning the others to follow.

"Yes, sir!" 1-B agreed in unison, a fire lit under all of them. After Aizawa cleared out the non-hero course onlookers that came as well, he returned to his class and pulled out another softball.

"What a waste of my time… Yaoyorozu, you're next. Use this spare," she nodded before catching the ball he threw and then pulled a _cannon _out of her stomach, followed by a gunpowder charge and a fuse.

* * *

**End of the Tests**

The final tests were seated toe-touch which only the most limber of the class had any real excellence at, the sit-ups where Aizawa had to stop Ochako since her quirk meant she was light enough to be doing it for about five minutes too long for his tastes and the distance run, which was completely owned by Yaoyorozu and her game-breaking moped. After everything was said and done, the class nervously waited to see who was leaving their class today.

"Alright, time to give you your results," Aizawa announced, "I've ranked you all from best to worst based on your performances in each test. You should all have a pretty good idea of your standing already. I'll just pull up the whole list as it's not worth going over each individual score." Aizawa pressed a button on his phone, causing a hologram of the standings to appear.

**1: Momo Yaoyorozu**

**2: Shouto Todoroki**

**3: Ochako Uraraka**

**4: Izuku Midoriya**

**5: Katsuki Bakugou**

**6: Tenya Iida**

**7: Fumikage Tokoyami**

**8: Mezo Shoji**

**9: Mashirao Ojiro**

**10: Eijiro Kirishima**

**11: Mina Ashido**

**12: Tsuyu Asui**

**13: Koji Koda**

**14: Rikido Sato**

**15: Yuya Aoyama**

**16: Hanta Sero**

**17: Denki Kaminari**

**18: Kyoka Jirou**

**19: Minoru Mineta**

**20: Toru Hagakure**

A gasp ran out to Izuku's left as he looked at the invisible girl. He could see her clothes shaking as she stared at the screen. Everyone else turned to look at her with sympathy… except Minoru who was so relieved it wasn't him that he fell to the ground.

"Oh, yeah, I was lying about kicking out last place," Aizawa dryly stated.

"WHAT?!" the class shouted.

"YES!" Hagakure cheered as she jumped up and down, relieved that she could stay.

"Heroes put their lives on the line every day. I needed to make sure that you would all rise to the occasion and the best way to do that is to tell you that you had something to lose, like your dreams and ambitions." Aizawa then gave an attempt at a wide smile, "Or to put it another way, a logical deception I made to make sure you all work hard." The whole class looked at Aizawa, incredulous that he would completely lie to them about throwing them out of the hero course.

"Did you all not notice?" Yaoyorozu asked, "Sorry, I guess I should have said something,"

"Yeah, you should have!"

"We're done for today. All of you get plenty of rest tonight as your training will only be getting harder from here on out."

"Yes, Mr. Aizawa!" The class bowed as Aizawa walked away, leaving the class to head back to the dorms. As he was leaving, Izuku noticed that Bakugou hadn't moved since the scores were announced but decided to leave him be and catch up with Ochako and the others. He didn't want to risk another incident.

'_Fifth place?! Behind Deku?! Behind that round-faced girlfriend of his… that cheating moped girl... that Frosty the Asshat?! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!'_ Bakugou clenched his hands so hard he thought he would bleed. _'Then there's his quirk… Auntie Inko's quirk is pulling small things to her and his dad breathes fire. How does warping around with rocks and shit have anything to do with all that?! Then, he shows up and "saves" me from the sludge bastard while at the same time being reported as dead! What the hell is he hiding?! He's probably laughing it up, thinking he's got me fooled while having the balls to call me "Kacchan" like he did when we were kids,'_ He turned to stomp his way back to the dorms. _'I'll rip the truth from his still breathing lips if I have to!'_

Aizawa watched Bakugou leave and felt a bit concerned with the boy. _'Why do I always get the difficult children?'_ He had originally written off what Inko told him about yesterday but having seen what he saw today, it was clear she wasn't raising a fuss to protect her son. Bakugou was going to be a pain in the ass, he just knew it. He turned a corner beyond the bleachers to see All Might in a suit and tie, hiding just beyond it.

"**That was a rotten move, Aizawa,**" Aizawa turned to look at the pro, who looked less than impressed with him. Not that he cared really.

"All Might. So, you _were_ watching. I thought I saw that garish suit of yours. What, no talk shows today?" Aizawa snarked.

"**A 'logical deception', huh? That's real cute, but you're not exactly known for being merciful,**" All Might accused, "**Last year, you kicked your entire class out and after they worked to get back in during the Sports Festival, they were handed over to Midnight out of the class' shared fear of you. You've never had a problem throwing out students if you thought them unworthy. You were planning to kick that young girl out, weren't you?**"

"Not her specifically, but I don't see a reason to kick her out... so I didn't. All of them have potential so it's not a rational decision to just kick someone out for just being at the bottom of the class… at least not yet. I may end up having to expel someone this year with the way things are going but we'll see. If they don't have what it takes, it would be cruel to delude them into thinking they do. It gets people killed." All Might began to ponder his words.

'_You have a strange sense of kindness, Aizawa but I've always known that,'_ "**...So, what about the standouts? Anyone catch your eye?**" Aizawa raised an eyebrow at the question but couldn't think of a reason to why All Might was asking other than curiosity.

"Outside of the top five, everyone is… about where I thought they'd land. Nothing really surprised me outside of a few flashes of creativity. Midoriya, whose performance was within expectations, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki proved to be worthy of those recommendations and Bakugou finished lower than I expected but his individual scores were better than what I had anticipated. I have to say the biggest surprise was Uraraka though," Aizawa noticed that All Might's grin had widened, "She'll go far with that quirk of hers."

"**So, you see the same thing in her that I do, hmm?**" All Might joyfully pointed a finger at Aizawa, who began to walk away with a wide smirk.

"Ah, you were in her corner this entire time, huh?" All Might immediately froze up as he realized his poor choice of words, "At least wait for the school year to start before playing favorites, All Might."

* * *

"Oh, god, I'm so glad he didn't pick me!" Minoru said as he fell down onto Izuku's bed as his friend went over his notes of his classmates' quirks.

"You really bought it, hook, line, and sinker, didn't you?" Izuku teased as he flipped through his notebook.

"You really think he was lying about kicking someone out?" Minoru asked, doubt lingering in his words, "I mean, doesn't it seem like there's more to it than just wanting us to try hard?"

"Hmm... " Izuku began to think about it. _'Considering Mr. Aizawa's not afraid to make things up for kicks, it's not hard to believe he did all that for a laugh and to test us. But… there's something that's been bothering me now that I think about it.'_

"Anyway, I do owe you for your help with my quirk," Izuku was ripped from his thoughts as Minoru spoke, "I don't think I would figure out half as much on my own," Minoru said with a genuine smile of appreciation.

"You would've if you had any real ambition to try," Izuku pointed out with a smile, "We can add that debt to the lost bet you also owe me. 35th place, was it?"

"I praise and thank you for your help and you just back a bus on me. True friend, you are. I was in the top ten in the written test, you know so I'd call it a tie," Minoru groaned, before deciding to change the subject, "So, what did you think of the girls in our class, barring the ones we know?"

"Still trying to get me a date?"

"As your self-identified wingman, I can't stop trying till you're taken." Izuku sighed before he turned around to face his friend.

"I've known them for a day and you want my opinion of them? All I've got is superficial things and their quirks. I didn't even eat dinner with you guys last night."

"Well, considering your love of all things quirks and heroes and my love of all things superficial, I'd say we've got more than enough for a conversation," Minoru said with a sly grin. A knock on the door interrupted the two.

"Midoriya, it's Iida, may I come in?" The two were surprised to hear Iida's voice on the other side but both just shrugged before Izuku called out.

"Sure, Iida, it's open!" Iida opened the door and saw Minoru sitting on the bed across from Izuku and his desk.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Iida took a look around the room at all the All Might memorabilia, including the red and blue striped curtains with white stars in the stripes. "I see you're a big fan of All Might,"

"I just really look up to him," Izuku nervously replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Understandable since he's the number one hero after all. He is a shining example of what it means to be a hero!" Iida praised before clearing his throat, "What were you two talking about?"

"I'm trying to get Zuku here to get a date," Minoru stated with complete nonchalance.

"Did you have to tell him that?!" Izuku glared at Minoru for telling Iida. If looks could kill, there would be a purple and red stain on the wall and bed.

"You're looking to date someone?" Iida asked innocently.

"No!" Izuku cried, "He's just trying to set me up with someone... which is not what I want right now!"

"But, if you don't act soon, you risk missing out as all the girls hook up with someone else who _will _give them the time of day," Minoru countered, earning an irritated sigh from Izuku

"Look, can we just drop this? I doubt Iida came all the way up here just to listen about my lack of a love life."

"Ah, of course!" Iida exclaimed, suddenly remembering why he came up here, "It was decided that we should all get together tonight and learn about each other since we're all going to be in the same class! I believe it would be a good idea to build a sense of unity in the class and allow us to unwind after Aizawa's test!" Izuku and Minoru shared a glance before the grape boy motioned to the door.

"Sounds good, Iida. We'll be right down,"

"Excellent! I look forward to knowing more about you both," Iida turned around but then stopped himself as he remembered something. "Also, I've been meaning to apologize to you," Izuku and Minoru looked at him as he bowed his head, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Apologize for what?"

"I had mistaken you for a hooligan at the entrance exam but I saw your score on the board downstairs. It's clear to me that you were much more aware of the true nature of the test, weren't you?"

"The true nature of the test…? Oh, you're talking about the rescue points, right?" Iida nodded, causing Izuku to bashfully scratch his head, "Um... actually no," Izuku admitted, "I hadn't even given it a single thought until All Might told me in the acceptance letter."

"Then that makes your actions all the more impressive to me!" Iida exclaimed while pointing his rigid hand at Izuku, "You went out of your way to help others even though it would do nothing for you, like a hero is supposed to act!" Iida clenched his hands in frustration as he looked away towards one of the All Might posters, "I, however, only cared about myself and did very little for anyone else. I only got rescue points because I happened to accidentally help someone else."

"Iida," Izuku began with a sigh, "There's no point beating yourself over it. You got in, didn't you? No one's expecting you to be a perfect human being."

"We mostly expect you not to be an asshole," Minoru jabbed, earning an annoyed glare from Izuku.

"...Mineta's choice of words aside, you're both right," Iida agreed as he adjust his glasses, "I will just have to work hard to be a better hero!"

"And we can start by getting to know everyone else in our class," Minoru suggested as he and Iida started to walk out of the room, "And that means you'll get to know if any of the girls in our class are right for you!"

"Drop it!" Izuku said as he stood up to follow. As he exited his room, he saw his two friends standing still as Bakugou stomped down the hall, face seething with rage. Minoru looked ready to bolt while Iida seemed completely baffled at his classmate's rage.

"Deku! This time, you're going to talk, you hear me?!"

* * *

**A/N: We've done it! We made double digits! Yay!**

**Also, somehow, I've had a job as an "essential worker" and haven't caught a virus yet! My prize? I got****_ FOOD POISONING INSTEAD! _****(Don't worry, I'm fine now but it was a pain in the ass... Literally.)**

**My bowels spewing the red sea and me not being able to hold down****_ water_**** aside, you've probably noticed, I've taken a few more liberties with things. Tsuyu and Minoru's placements on the QAT (Quirk Assessment Test) were higher than they normally would. I'm hopeful you can understand why.**

**Also, this is the last time I will ask since I did have someone offer but the position of beta reader is still open. I haven't made a judgement call yet but this will be the last chance if you're interested.**

**To everyone who left reviews, I thank you for your comments as they all mean a lot. **

**Guest 1: Thank you, and for me, it's almost always night time. I'm an owl in human form.**

**Guest 2: I have no idea what "dog puns" mean. If you're referring to the Noh pun titles for the first six chapters, there actually was a reason in-story why I did it that way and stopped. I'm eager to see if anyone can guess why. I'll give a hint though. Nine letter word that starts with M and ends with Y.**

**ProjectIceman: Bakugou's animosity will be more explained in the next chapter. As for USJ… Well… Don't worry about a thing. I've got it all under control. *Turns around to cackle like a maniac*. **

**Oceami: Well I've got no plans on stopping yet but this is me we're talking about. It's nothing short of shocking to me that I've kept a consistent schedule for four months straight.**

**Hmm: My ultimate plan is to have Inko create this rep as the almighty mom.**

**Once again, I do want to stress to everyone that all opinions delivered in a non-malicious fashion are welcome here. If you feel something is off, don't be afraid to say something.**

**Next chapter: A small detour and a nice preview to mayhem.**

**Till next time, Sal out!**


	11. Ch 11: All In

**Ch. 11: All In**

"Deku, this time, you're going to talk, you hear me?!" Bakugou shouted as he shoved Iida and Minoru out of his way and stood in Izuku's face, his own seething with rage. He should've figured that something like this would have happened considering what happened the last two times Bakugou interacted with him. Izuku sighed before looking past him to his friends.

"This might take a while. Why don't you guys go on ahead?" Iida looked at Izuku with baffled shock.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?!"

"You didn't hear him?" Bakugou growled at Iida's protest, "Leave, extras!" Izuku winked at Minoru, who tensely nodded.

"Come on, Iida," Minoru suggested with a nervous look, "We'll just be in the way here."

"A-Alright," Iida then turned back to Bakugou with a stern look, "But no fighting!"

"Get lost already!" Bakugou yelled, causing the two to walk away.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" Bakugou barked, "First, you've been missing for years, reported dead even, and then you show up while being dead last year, and then just show up here at U.A. while your mom is working here as if nothing happened. Then, there's your quirk. Everything makes no sense. You were fine and yet never came home. Now talk!"

"You want to sit down? It's not a short story," Izuku walked into his room with Bakugou following. Izuku sat down in his chair while Bakugou stood at the door after he closed it, preventing Izuku from walking out, "Okay… where to start?"

* * *

Minoru and Iida rode the elevator down to ground level in silence. The tall student fiddled with his hands anxiously as Minoru took deep breaths to calm himself.

'_It's Izuku we're talking about here. It'll be fine… I should let his mom know what's going on up there though since it's important,"_

"Do you think it was really okay to leave them alone?" Iida asked as he stared at the door as they arrived at the bottom, "Bakugou doesn't strike me as the… kind for calm, pleasant discourse…"

"Well, if he has to, I'm sure Zuku will just warp away if things get hectic…" Minoru walked out of the elevator to see the class forming a circle in the common room chairs and couches. There were a few pillows laid out around a table in a crescent formation with one pillow alone on the other side. Minoru and Iida walked over to see a deck of cards and chips in a briefcase that Kaminari was fiddling with.

"Are they planning on playing poker?" Iida asked incredulously.

"Hey guys, glad you can join us!" Ashido yelled out from her chair. Ochako turned around with a smile but noticed who was missing.

"Where Izu?"

"Dealing with Bakugou," Minoru stated as he took a seat next to her on the couch. The room went silent as they noticed what he said.

"We… aren't going to find a dead body up there, are we?"

"Well, I haven't heard a building-shaking explosion yet so the body will most likely be Boomstick's,"

"Mineta, you should not talk that way about a fellow student," Iida chastised to which Minoru just blew a raspberry.

"I "shouldn't" doesn't mean I "wouldn't," Minoru then turned to Tsu, "So we're going to have this get together over cards?"

"Kaminari wanted something to do rather than us just sitting around and talking,"

"Ah. So, how's this all going down?"

"Well, I figured Todoroki and Bakugou aren't interested so that leaves eighteen of us," Kaminari began, "We'll have six players at once and we'll have the winners play each other in a final three. Losers will have to have to tell a little about themselves to the class. Like your quirk and why you wanted to be a hero. Sound fair?" Minoru nearly panicked since his reason for being there was… less than wholesome. He just barely managed to keep a straight face before speaking.

"A-and the winners get off saying nothing?"

"Well, they get to talk last."

"That sounds fair. It will also allow us to get an idea of how we all approach competition." Iida added.

"You know, provided any of us are looking for that," Minoru snarked. Kaminari went about explaining to everyone that didn't know how to play the rules of hold 'em poker after setting up the chips.

"Oh, and when you sit down, you should give your name!"

"So, who's first?" Jirou asked as she fiddled with her headphone jacks. Minoru looked around the room and saw no one really moving. Suddenly, Ochako slid over onto the nearest cushion.

"Ochako Uraraka is ready to play!" she said with a cheer. Minoru shrugged with a groan before plopping himself down next to her.

"Minoru Mineta,"

"No, you've got to say 'ready to play', Mino!" Eri cried from Tsu's lap.

"Yeah, 'Mino'," Tsu smirked.

"Shut it, Tsu," Minoru cleared his throat before trying his best heroic voice, "Minoru Mineta is ready to play!"

"Yeah, that's it!" Eri cheered, bringing a smile to the whole class. A large, muscular man sat down next.

"Rikido Sato is ready to play!" He spoke with boisterous confidence. He was followed by the blond boy with the massive tail.

"Mashirao Ojiro is ready to play," He said calmly. Next was the bird-headed student.

"Fumikage Tokoyami is ready to play," Tokoyami introduced in a serious, deep voice.

"Mina Ashido is ready to play!" Ashido shouted with energy. Minoru looked at the last cushion that was empty.

"So… who's the dealer? Are we having a dedicated dealer or are we rotating?" Everyone immediately looked at each other in confusion, suddenly realizing that they didn't have one, "Wow, great job, Kaminari. Way to think ahead."

"Hey, shut up! I thought someone was gonna volunteer!"

"Well, if you need a dealer," The group looked to the approaching Inko, "I could fill the part."

"You don't have work to do?"

"Well, you kids have been keeping everything clean for me so I don't work too much. I see you all trying to bond and I can't help but want to join in." She said with a motherly smile.

"Well, we have our dealer now! Let's go, go, go!" Ashido cried out as Inko took a seat and shuffled the deck with a skilled hand, showing she's had some experience with a deck of cards.

* * *

Bakugou and Izuku stared at each other in silence as Bakugou processed everything he'd been told. Izuku sat with one leg crossed over the other as he watched his supposed friend, who was still angry but for a different reason than before.

"You expect me to buy any of that bullshit?" Bakugou snarled as he closed the distance between the two, "That you just lost your memory after being kidnapped by a supervillain and fed a quirk and then spent the last few years living on the streets with that gray-haired brat?"

"No, I don't, but it's the truth."

"Okay, then answer me this: Why would U.A. let in someone who's never been to any school? Why would they let in a random kid off the street? Why would they let in someone who supposedly has connections to a supervillain? Why would a supervillain want some _quirkless loser_ like you?"

"You'd have to ask Principal Nezu since he's the one that gave me the opportunity in the first place," Izuku leaned back into his chair, watching the disbelieving look on Bakugou's face, "As for why I was kidnapped, who knows? I'm still trying to answer that myself. It's fine if you don't believe me. You can talk to Aizawa, the principal, All Might, Detective Tsukauchi, and have _them _explain it to you. Though trust me, you'll be wasting your time and will just be getting the exact same story. If you don't want to believe me, deal with it, cause we're done here."

"Hell no, we-" *Pop* "THAT LITTLE SHIT!" Bakugou screamed as he ran from the room, completely oblivious to the ear that was phasing through the ceiling. The ear phased back out and disappeared without a sound.

* * *

"I'll raise," *Pop* "Oh, sounds like Zuku won," Minoru joked as he added more chips to the pot.

"There wasn't a fight," Izuku corrected as he walked up behind his friend. He raised an eyebrow at the class playing poker with his mother dealing but quickly accepted that it was happening. He saw the flop as a five of clubs, three of hearts, and seven of hearts.

"Oh, so you ran for it?" Tsu quipped, and got a shrug in return.

"More or less. He was being difficult so I saw no reason to stay. He should be stomping down here any second now."

"You really shouldn't be causing problems, Izuku," Izuku's Bio Scanner picked up on Bakugou as he stormed down the steps, only to stop just before entering into the common room. Bakugou noticed Inko and decided it would be best to back off for now. He'd get his moment.

"I'm trying but _he_ keeps coming to me," Izuku took a seat next to Tsu and Eri wasted no time climbing onto him. "Who's winning?"

"Mino."

"Really?" Izuku raised his eyebrow.

"Surprised me too," Tsu shrugged.

"Both of you can go..." He stopped himself, remembering Eri was in the room, "...eat a bowl of fudge."

"Oh, that sounds so good right now," Sato said as he pushed all his chips in.

"He's got a four and a six." Tokoyami remarked as he folded. Everyone followed suit until it got to Ochako, who also went all in.

"Whoa, that's crazy!"

"What's she playing for?"

"Let me guess: You've got a pair in there?" Minoru asked as he pointed to her cards.

"You'll have to wait and see like everyone else," she answered with a less than confident smile. Minoru folded, leaving Ochako and Sato to reveal their cards before the last two cards were revealed. Ochako had a five of hearts and a five of diamonds while Sato had a four of clubs and six of diamonds.

"So, Sato's already got a straight and Uraraka has got to get the five of spades to win," Kaminari said as the turn card was played. King of spades. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as Inko laid down the river card.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Sato shouted as the miracle five of spades appeared, completing Ochako's four of a kind.

"Yeah, let's go, Ochako!" Minoru shouted as he and his friend shared a high five. Ochako cheered as she scooped up the pot.

"Alright Sato, you lost so you have to tell us your quirk and why you want to be a hero," Kirishima explained as Sato took a seat next to him.

"My quirk is Sugar Rush which lets me get stronger the more sugar I eat," He said with a flex of his massive biceps, "And I guess I wanted to become a hero because I wanted to get stronger."

"Oddly unspecific," Izuku quipped, quirk notebook in hand.

"It's a bit embarrassing. I've got people I want to keep safe and I need to be strong to do that."

"That is a respectable ambition, Sato." Iida reassured, "Nothing at all to be embarrassed over." Sato nodded with a big smile before Inko started dealing the next game. Mina was the next one out after four hands of struggling.

"Gah! I couldn't get a good hand!" she cried as she fell back onto the floor, "My turn, I guess. My quirk is Acid which lets me make… well, _acid_ from anywhere on my body. I wanted to become a hero after I saved some of my friends from this really big dude that was harassing us."

"That must have been scary."

"I was about ready to brick it, not gonna lie." The game continued with Tokoyami and Ojiro losing in the same hand to Minoru on the very next round.

"You want to start?" Ojiro asked as he shrugged off the loss. Tokoyami sighed before a shadowy figure appeared out of his stomach.

"Hey everybody, how's it going!"

"AH, IT TALKS!" Hagakure screamed.

"My quirk is Dark Shadow, which lets me manifest a shadow out of my body. He's fully sentient so he has a will of his own."

"I also can do some pretty nifty party tricks!" Everyone was speechless. Not because of his quirk, but because his quirk's personality was so much different from his.

"I wish to be a hero of the night like some of the underground heroes that worked in my town."

"My quirk is Tail, which just gives me this large tail," Ojiro began, "And my family runs a martial arts dojo so I figured I'd put my skills to the test as a hero." Izuku gasped quietly as he leaned back into the couch. His thoughts drifted to Tai and his time at the dojo before Tsu snapped him out of it. He shook his head and returned to the game at hand, now down to Minoru and Ochako.

"You know what, why don't we just go all in and whatever happens we live with it."

"You must have a good hand."

"I don't know. I haven't seen the flop yet. I could have an ace and a king but it ain't gonna help me if there's no good cards." The two bet all in and revealed their cards. Minoru had a ten of hearts and a jack of diamonds while Ochako had an eight and nine of spades. Inko dealt the flop, a ten of diamonds, a two of clubs, and a queen of clubs. The turn, a nine of hearts. Everyone waited silently as the river card was…

"Ah, crap!" Minoru crashed his head into the table. A jack of clubs, "Of course that happens!"

"Looks like you lost, Minoru," Ochako remarked as she let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.

"Yeah, looks like it," Minoru stood up to stretch, "My quirk is Pop Off, which causes these grapes to grow out of my head. They stick to anything that isn't me and I'm bounced off of them." He took a deep breath before continuing, "I wanted to become a hero to help my friends be better heroes."

"Lies," Tsu muttered under her breath, though no one seemed to notice. Ochako stood up next.

"My quirk is Gravity Shift and it lets me lower or increase the effects of gravity on anything I touch with all five fingers. I… want to be a hero to help support my family…" She stated, a little embarrassed to admit it.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting to work to make a living! I think it's a good goal to have" Iida encouraged her, bringing a wide smile to Ochako's face when everyone agreed.

"Alright, who's next?"

"I'll give it a go," Izuku said as he traded seats with Ochako. Izuku handed Minoru his notebook to take notes on the class's quirks for him.

"You've got to say your name and that you're ready to play!" Eri ordered. Izuku snickered before pulling off a little trick he'd been practicing.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya and I'm ready to play!" He said in a perfect imitation of All Might's voice, amazing everyone.

"Wow, that sounded exactly like All Might!"

"Is it just me, or did his face kinda look like All Might's for a second there too?"

"Can you do that again?"

"There will be no encores." The invisible girl was next.

"I'm Toru Hagakure and I'm ready to play!"

"It'll probably be hard to read her…" Ochako remarked.

"She still seems like an open book to me," Tsu added. Iida sat down next.

"Tenya Iida and I'm ready to play!" He shouted a bit too enthusiastically.

"Kinda like him."

"I'm Eijiro Kirishima and I'm ready to play!" Kirishima exclaimed with a determined fire.

"I'm Denki Kaminari and I'm ready to play!"

"Kyoka Jirou and I'm ready to play, I guess," Jirou stated, a bit nervous in front of the class as she took a seat next to Kaminari. The first hand was dealt after everyone got their 2500 points in chips. Izuku looks at his face down cards and comes up with an idea to get this over with faster so he can get back to taking notes on his classmates. He didn't even look at his cards and waited for it to be his turn. That's when he began.

"All in on the first hand?" Inko asked as her son just nodded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Minoru just rolled his.

"Oh _boy_, here we go," The whole table just folded immediately, allowing Izuku to win what was effectively nothing more than the big and small blinds together and nothing else.

"If you don't mind me saying a friendly word of advice: Don't try and raise my blind," Izuku says as he looks at his cards and then shows his nine of spades and a two of hearts.

"Wow, that is a garbage hand," Minoru commented with a chuckle.

"Wait, don't tell me... " Jirou muttered under her breath. _'Did Midoriya even _look_ at his hand?'_

Next hand, all in, everyone folds.

"Oh, they listened!" Izuku smirked as he checked his hand. Ten of hearts and two of diamonds; another pair of terrible cards.

"Dude, you're not even looking at your cards?" Kaminari complained as the next hand was dealt

"Whoa, that is manly as hell!" Kirishima exclaimed as Izuku again bet all in.

"I don't really care. It's just a game of cards," Kirishima looks at his hand, an ace and jack of clubs and decides it's time to make a move. He bets all in with Izuku and shows his hand. Everyone else folds. "I don't know what I have," Izuku flips over the cards, "I have a two and… a two," He shrugs as he sets the cards down, "Interesting hand."

"So, to recap, we have Kirishima who's made a calculated move against Zuku, who didn't even know what his cards were," Minoru pointed out, "You want a guess who wins, Eri?"

"Big bro!" Just as she said that, the flop came down. A six of spades, a three of diamonds… and a two of hearts. She called it.

"That's a good flop right there," Izuku joked as Kirishima just stared at the cards in disbelief. He already lost on the third hand. Izuku collected his winnings as Kirishima stood up to speak.

"Uh, my quirk is Hardening, which makes my skin hard as a rock and I wanted to become a hero like my favorite hero, Crimson Riot!"

"Wow, that is old school!" Izuku's eyes began to shine as the talk became about pro heroes, "Actually, his quirk was like yours since he could make his hair as hard as stone too!"

"Yeah, you got it!" Kirishima exclaimed, "I want to be as manly and tough as him one day and that's why I'm here!" Kirishima took a seat on one of the couches and the game resumed.

All in, everyone folds. All in, everyone folds. All in, everyone folds. All in, everyone folds. All the while, having no idea what his hands were at any point before winning. The next hand, Izuku is last to act and doesn't even get to go all in because everyone folded before it even got to him. Ochako, Minoru and Tsu have big smiles on their faces as Izuku basically turns the card game into a farce. The next hand, Kaminari was dealt a ten of hearts and an ace of spades and decided to go all in as well. Izuku's hand was a ten and seven of spades as the flop came down as a five of diamonds, a queen of hearts and a queen of spades.

"Two spades or a seven and Zuku wins."

Next card: Seven of clubs.

"Damnit!" Kaminari screeched.

"Hey! There's a kid here!" Jirou reprimanded.

"Sorry!" Kaminari's turn to speak as he stood up, "My quirk is Electrification which lets me cover my body in electricity and I can also shoot it out too. I wanted to be a hero because… well heroes are cool and I wanted to be like them too."

"Such noble goals," Minoru stated.

"You're one to talk," Tsu rebutted, calling Minoru out on his nonsense. Next hand, it's Iida's turn to go all in. They show the cards and he has Izuku dominated. Iida's hand, a king of hearts and queen of clubs versus Izuku's queen of spades and jack of clubs. The community cards, a king of spades, jack of spades, a seven of diamonds and a nine of hearts.

"This looks bad for Izu,"

"He can at least tie if he hits a ten." Tsu stated. The river, and the ten comes down, splitting the pot between Izuku and Iida.

"What even_ is _this game anymore?" Hagakure asks aloud, "Ten hands straight and Midoriya is still here!" A few hands later, Hagakure tries her luck… and she's gone too.

"My quirk is obviously Invisibility and I've always wanted to be a super stealthy hero that stops bad guys before they even see me coming!" She leaves the table and the game continues. All in, everyone folds ensues.

"Izuku, do you have any plans on playing like a normal person?" Iida askes after the sixteenth hand in a row where he's pulled this stunt.

"No, not really," He shook his head, "I've actually been trying to get eliminated from the game if you can believe it.

"I certainly can because _no one plays like this_!" Kaminari emphasized just how crazy Izuku's playing is. Eventually, after a few more hands, Jirou can take no more.

"I'm out. My quirk's Earphone Jack and it lets me pick up on small vibrations when they're plugged into something. I can also turn my heartbeat into a sonic blast while I'm at it," she said as she got up and walked to the bathroom.

"Wait, why'd you want to be a hero?"

"Cause I did," She answered as she shut the door behind her.

"Well, good enough for me," Izuku quipped, going all in again. Iida tried to challenge him and was smacked back down. He rolled up his pants to show off the exhaust pipes in his legs.

"My quirk is Engine and it allows me super speed due to the engines in my legs. I wish to become a hero to follow in my family's footsteps!" Izuku suddenly realized why Iida's quirk was familiar to him.

"Wait… Iida, is your family in charge of the Team Idaten, run by Ingenium?"

"Yes, indeed! He's my older brother and I wish to become a hero as great as he is!"

"You've got a long way to go, 'chatterbox'," Minoru reminded Iida, causing Iida to tense up. Everyone looked to Izuku since he was the winner.

"My quirk is Targeted Warp. I can mark anything my palm touches and warp it to me or I can warp anything I touch to the marks. I want to be a hero because I've always admired them and wanted to be like All Might, a hero who saves the day with a smile on his face," Everyone nodded at Izuku's goal before moving on to the next round. Tsuyu, Mezo Shoji, Koji Koda, a boy with a hulking frame and an uneven, rocky head, Yuya Aoyama, Hanta Sero, and Momo Yaoyorozu all gather around the table to begin.

Koda was first, trying the same strategy as Izuku to lose as fast as possible. Unlike Izuku, he succeeded before using sign language to talk, forcing Inko to translate.

"His quirk is Anivoice which lets him talk and command animals. He wants to become a hero so he can become braver."

"Mom, you know sign language?"

"There's a lot of things you don't know I can do, honey," Minoru had to stop himself from snickering, lest Tsu or Izuku slapped the taste out of his mouth.

"Wait, if he talks to animals, why can't he talk to us?"

"I think he's just shy and can't find the words." Koda nodded before sitting down on the couch. After that, the game began in earnest, taking quite a while before Aoyama finally lost.

"A shame but I can't be perfect at a game I've never played before," He spoke haughtily before standing and striking a pose, "My quirk is Navel Laser, allowing me to shoot a magnificent laser out of my stomach! I wish to become a hero to sparkle on a grand stage."

"Sounds like you're in the wrong profession. You'd probably do better as an idol or something." Aoyama, still smiling but face dark, turned his head towards Minoru, neck cracking as he did.

"_Did you say something_?" Voice intimidating despite his goofy appearance.

"Nope! Nonononono nope not me!"

"Good to hear it!" Aoyama sat down and the game continued. Shoji would be the next one to lose, unable to get anything going against the emotionless Tsu and Yaoyorozu's calculated moves. Shoji turned one of the stumps of his webbed arms into a mouth to speak.

"My quirk is Dupli-arms and I can create any body part from the tentacles under my arms. I want to be a hero as it seemed like the best fit for me." Sero followed suit on the next hand, losing all his chips to Tsuyu.

"My quirk is Tape and I can shoot out super strong tape from my elbows! I want to be a hero because heroes are awesome!" the room was silent for a moment as they took in what he said.

"Fair enough, moving on," Izuku replied, breaking the silence. The showdown between Tsuyu and Yaoyorozu. A battle that lasted about fifteen hands too long for everyone else.

"You know what, want to just call it a draw, ribbit?"

"Yeah, this appears to be going nowhere…" Yaoyorozu agreed as the two finally gave up.

"My quirk is Frog. I can do anything a frog can. I want to be a hero to help my friends and protect my family," Tsu explained dryly.

"My quirk is Creation. I can create any non-living material that I know the molecular makeup of. I wish to continue the family business of being a Pro Hero, not unlike Iida."

"Well, you all seem to be having fun," The class jumped in their seats a little as Aizawa walked up to the class.

"Mr. Aizawa, sir!" Iida shouted as he stood at attention like a soldier.

"At ease, Iida," He then turned back to the class as a whole, "Just here to remind you that lights out is in thirty minutes. You'd best be getting ready for bed."

"Oh crap, he's right!" Kirishima shouted as he looked at his phone.

"I guess that means no finals," Kaminari lamented as everyone started to get ready to leave for the showers or to their rooms.

"Have a good night,"

"Mr. Aizawa," Izuku spoke up, stopping everyone, "Can I ask a question?"

"What?"

"Were you actually lying when you said you were going to throw one of us out?"

"I didn't, didn't I?"

"I was just wondering since…" Izuku leaned over the couch to face his teacher, "Your quirk wouldn't let you pass the entrance exam." Aizawa's eyebrows quirked up in surprise. The room went still for a few tense seconds before Midoriya continued, "Your quirk only lets you turn off other quirks but you can't do that to every single person, especially the ones in a completely different zone than you. There's also the fact that it doesn't make you any better at fighting robots so getting points would be much harder for you. If you had taken that test at the same age and experience as the rest of us, you would've failed that test, no questions asked."

"...Not bad, Midoriya," Aizawa smirked before he turned back to his students, "You're right in a way. I wasn't going to expel someone just for being in last place _but _if any single one of you didn't give one hundred percent today, it wouldn't have mattered one bit what place you had. Take Yaoyorozu for example. First place in my test and admitted on recommendations from her family. Had she shown even an ounce less effort, I would have offered one warning before throwing her out," Yaoyorozu gasped. Izuku wondered if it was from how cold their teacher could be or the fact that she was wrong about the nature of the test, "You'd be gone, and I would have gladly given your place to a more deserving student that wasn't able to pass that illogical farce of a test. However, you each proved to me that you deserve to stay, so as long as you continue to give everything you've got, you don't need to fear me removing you from my class." The class wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but the tense atmosphere remained. Aizawa, once again, turned to leave. "Tomorrow is orientation and the day after will be your first real day of school. 8:25, _don't be late_."

Leaving the class alone to ponder what he said, Aizawa walked out for the night.

* * *

Izuku woke up for the first real day of school feeling pretty good. The day before was literally nothing but orientation and receiving his syllabus for the year before returning to the dorms. He at least got to spend most of it organizing the information on his classmates' quirks that he got from their poker night. He got a full night's sleep and was ready to get at it to become the hero he knew he could be. He just needed to overcome his first obstacle.

He still had no idea how to tie a tie. Izuku looked at the long, red piece of fabric like it was some sort of alien space weapon as he tried to imagine how in the world, he was going to get this demonic looking thing on. He had his mom do it the day before but he accidentally untied it and had no idea how to put it back on. It was part of the uniform so he couldn't just say "screw it" and leave it at that. He left his room and knocked on Minoru's door, causing the tired purple teen to answer. He was dressed for the day with a perfectly tied tie, which emboldened Izuku.

"Hey, do you know how to tie a tie?"

"Just look up a video on the internet, dude,"

"This is faster, though,"

"Ugh... fiiiiine…" Izuku kneeled down at Minoru's level and with a skilled hand, expertly tied the tie in a few seconds. "Now just make sure you don't undo the tie fully this time because I ain't tying it again."

"Thanks man,"

"You'll owe me." The two walked downstairs and ate breakfast with the rest of the class. Izuku couldn't help but smile at how lively the class actually was, even with a few of the less social students being talkative.

After walking to school, classes began in earnest. The morning consisted of homeroom where Aizawa just reminded them of how much he's expecting of them for the coming year, followed by… ordinary school subjects. Math, English, art, literature, it was no different from any other school in the world. Though it wasn't like Izuku had much to compare it too as he did everything he could to focus and learn. He was several years behind the rest of the school and he had to work hard to catch up in academics. Though with his teachers being Ectoplasm, Present Mic, Midnight, and Cementoss, all heroes, he found it both easy and hard to concentrate. Easy because he was focused on them. Hard because he wasn't focused on what they were teaching. At the very least, his best friend Minoru was right behind him which helped since Bakugou was also a seat ahead. Next came lunch, where Izuku got to fanboy over meeting Lunch Rush and wondered if the only people that were _not_ heroes at the school were the dormitory caretakers.

Then… Class 1-A returned to their classroom and waited in silence for a minute. Izuku had Bio Scanner on to see who would be the teacher of their Fundamental Hero Studies, a wide smile on his face as his question was answered.

"**I am… HERE!**" The class perked up as the thunderous voice of the number one hero sounded through the door into the room. Said door was slammed open and in came All Might, "**...Coming through the door LIKE A HERO!**"

"Ah, I can't believe it's really All Might!" Sero squeed.

"So, he really is a teacher here!" Kirishima shouted in awe, "This year's going to be totally awesome!"

"Isn't that the Silver Age costume?" Tsu pondered.

"I'm getting goosebumps... it's so retro!" Ojiro muttered. The rest of the class just admired the great hero before them.

"**Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High! Think of it as Heroing 101! Here, you will learn the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight in the name of good!**" All Might reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, reading BATTLE on it. "**Let's get into it! TODAY'S LESSON WILL PULL NO PUNCHES!**"

"Fight training!" Bakugou exclaimed with a savage grin. Izuku was less enthused.

"Already?"

"**But one of the keys to be a hero is… LOOKING GOOD!**" All Might pressed a button on a remote, causing twenty briefcases to come out of the wall, "**These were designed for you based on your requests and quirk registration forms.**" Izuku spied his briefcase, No. 18, and smiled. It wasn't made by a company.

* * *

**Three weeks earlier**

"Let's see… today's the deadline for the clothing allowance to get my costume. Put a lot of work into designing this so I hope it comes out okay…"

"Izuku, honey, I have a surprise for you…" Izuku looked up from his paperwork to see his mother holding a dark green costume. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you, honey!"

"Is that..." Izuku looked down at his notebook containing his design for his costume. The costume wasn't a perfect transition from paper to product but it was so close he could almost not tell the difference. The white lines that ran up the arms and down the sides of his body were there as well as around the front pockets. It even had the hood he wanted. Izuku rose to his feet as his mom continued.

"I guess I jumped the gun a little. You left your notebook open on the kitchen counter when you last had your friends over and I might have stolen a peek."

"Seriously?" Izuku deadpanned.

"To be honest, I feel like I needed to make it up to you for not being able to be there for you when you were living out on the streets, trying to survive while people hunted you down. But now, you're going to be in the best hero course in the nation and I know you'll be great! So, I'll support you with everything I have from now on!" She handed him the costume as well as a belt, pads for his elbows and knees and the most important part for Izuku. A mask, unlike his kitsune mask, was one of a human face with a wide, toothy smile, like All Might's though Izuku made sure to avoid the direct resemblance.

* * *

'_Mom put everything she had into making this costume for me so I'll wear it with pride.'_ Izuku walked with the class towards the Battle Center from the entrance exam. Halfway there, they ran into a surprise.

Class 1-B with Vlad King at the front, talking with Aizawa. The other class seemed just as confused as they were. The pros turned towards the arriving 1-A.

"Well, took you all long enough. Get lost on the way here?"

"Mr. Aizawa, what's going on?" Iida inquired, "We were under the impression it was just our class today."

"Today, because Vlad's a crybaby," Vlad immediately started staring daggers into the back of the uncaring Aizawa's skull, "Class 1-B will be joining your battle training. The rest will be explained when you arrive at Ground Beta by All Might. As for me and Vlad, we'll be monitoring your growth as your homeroom teachers so we'll be watching your battles today. Now move, we're burning daylight."

"Yes sir!" The forty students and their teachers walked into the tunnel leading into Ground Beta.

"**They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen and behold, you are the proof!**" All Might spoke with pride as the students exited the tunnel, "**Take this to heart, for now you are all heroes-in-training!**" All Might surveyed the costumed crowd in front of him as his smile grew even wider. "**This is getting me all riled up! You all look so cool! Now let's get started, you zygotes!**"

Ochako turned around to see Izuku in his full costume, "Oh, wow, Izu, that looks good on you!" She said with enthusiasm that quickly faded into a bashful smile, "I guess I should have been more specific since they made my costume skin tight." She said as Izuku took in her costume. It was pink and black with a helmet that had a pink visor, "Not really my style,"

"Well, I think it works perfectly for you!" Izuku quickly reassured her, thankful that the mask hid his red face, "You'll be faster with a less bulky costume."

"Yeah maybe," She turned to see Minoru drooling a little in his purple head mask, bodysuit, yellow cape, gloves and pants with a utility belt, "Though I wonder if I'm going to get unwanted attention."

"Minoru," Tsu warned as she walked up in her own green skin tight bodysuit and yellow goggles.

"Right, sorry." Minoru looked around at the other costumes of the students, "Though a lot of these costumes are really impressive. It's interesting to wonder what half the stuff they asked for even does," Minoru then caught sight of Bakugou's costume and began to feel uneasy, "Like Boomstick's," the three turned to look where Minoru was pointing, "He doesn't strike me as the kind of person to go with things for aesthetics so what's with the big-ass grenade gauntlets?" Before the four could ponder anymore, All Might began to speak again.

"**Now that all of you are ready, it's time for combat training!**" All Might announced as Aizawa and Vlad King stood off to the side.

"Sir," Iida, clad in full knight-inspired armor with mufflers sticking out the back of his shoulders. "This is the fake city from the entrance exam. Are we conducting fake battles again?"

"**Not quite! We're moving two steps ahead! Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside but statistically speaking, most run-ins with villains take place indoors. Home-invasions, backroom deals, secret underground lairs. The smart criminal hides in the shadows. In this exercise, you'll all be split into two teams of good guys and bad guys for a four on four indoor battles!**"

"Isn't this a bit advanced?" Tsu asked, a little bit worried about her schoolmates fighting each other.

"**The best training is the kind you get on the battlefield! Though now, you're not fighting robots, you're dealing with actual people now!**"

"Sir, will you be deciding who wins?"

"How much can we hurt the other team?"

"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?"

"Does this cape not éblouir you?"

"**At least let me finish!**" All Might grumbled, overwhelmed by the massive influx of questions, amusing Aizawa a little. All Might pulled out a script, to the bemusement of everyone in attendance, "**The situation is this: Villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout and the heroes must retrieve it or capture every villain in the time limit of ten minutes. Likewise, the villains must protect the payload until time runs out or capture the heroes. You will all be split into groups of two with a fellow classmate by drawing lots and then, you will team up with a duo from the other class to form your four-person team.**" Everyone quickly looked to the other class in surprise. Iida raised his hand again.

"Is there a better way of determining teams besides lots?"

"Heroes often have to team up with other agencies on the spot so we're probably seeing that here because of that," Izuku reasoned behind his smile mask.

"I see. Life is a random series of events after all," Iida bowed to All Might, "Pardon my rudeness."

"**No sweat! LET'S DRAW!**" One by one everyone reached into one box designated for each class, organizing the teams as such:

**Team A: Izuku Midoriya, Tsuyu Asui, Ibara Shiozaki, Kojiro Bondo**

**Team B: Shouto Todoroki, Mezo Shoji, Yui Kodai, Jurota Shishida**

**Team C: Ochako Uraraka, Minoru Mineta, Neito Monoma, Itsuka Kendo**

**Team D: Katsuki Bakugou, Tenya Iida, Reiko Yanagi, Kosei Tsuburaba**

**Team E: Mina Ashido, Yuya Aoyama, Pony Tsunotori, Manga Fukidashi**

**Team F: Rikido Sato, Koji Koda, Setsuna Tokage, Togaru Kamakiri**

**Team G: Kyoka Jirou, Denki Kaminari, Sen Kaibara, Juzo Honenuki**

**Team H: Momo Yaoyorozu, Fumikage Tokoyami, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Nirengeki Shoda**

**Team I: Toru Hagakure, Mashirao Ojiro, Hiryu Rin, Yosetsu Asawe**

**Team J: Eijiro Kirishima, Hanta Sero, Kinoko Kimori, Shihai Kuroiro**

"**And starting us off will be... THESE GUYS!**" All Might reached into two boxes labeled "Hero" and "Villain" and pulled out two balls labeled "D" and "A" respectively. Izuku and Bakugou looked at each other, both shocked they were going to face each other. "**Team D will be the heroes and team A will be the villains. Everyone else will follow Vlad and Aizawa to the monitoring room to watch!**"

"Yes sir!" the rest of the student body obeyed as they left with the teachers, leaving the eight participants to follow All Might. Izuku handed Minoru his notebook before turning to face Bakugou, determined to make Bakugou respect him. They eventually arrived at the building involved for their test. Team A began to walk into the building after being handed maps to the location of the bomb.

"**Young Midoriya, Young Asui, Young Shiozaki, and Young Bondo,**" All Might stopped them, with one last piece of advice, "**The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy and use your powers to do whatever it takes to win, though remember that this is a test. If things go too far, I'll step in. You have five minutes to prepare, so use it wisely.**"

"Understood," The team walked into the building, closing the door behind them. Bakugou just stared at the door, restless like a caged animal.

'_Deku got away last time but he'll have nowhere to run now. Now, I'm going to flatten that ant for thinking he could fool me with that bullshit story!'_

* * *

**A/N: So, last chapter, I said I had a beta lined up. Turns out nope! I can't get in contact with the guy anymore and that worries me a little but that also means the position is once again open. Though, at this stage, I'd get more success picking someone out of a crowd.**

**Not really much to say here since most of this chapter is set up for other things so forgive the lack of any real excitement. I mean, I added a freaking poker game just to give the class something to do while they talked to each other. (Speaking of which, Izuku's game was based on a real-life game that has to be seen to be believed. Gus Hanson from Poker Superstars pulled the exact same stunt and won and it's insane) Next chapter should make up for it… hopefully.**

**Reviews:**

**Guest: I feel like an idiot for not understanding that now. And I'm glad you like my Mineta since I really tried to make him likable without removing the trait that's most identifiable with him completely. Which is really what he should have been in the first place but hey, I'm not the one with a hugely successful manga so who am I to judge?**

**RiceCakePlayz: Yeah, slow starts are admittedly an acquired taste, especially when you have no real guarantees that the story is going to get anywhere… like most of my work, really…**

**ProjectIceman: I figured it would be a nice change of pace to have Hisashi actually, you know, be a dad. That joke with Izuku was also one of the earliest things I came up with since I designed Targeted Warp. I figured it would be a nice moment for more than the joke though, as you'll see in the next chapter.**

**Speaking of which, next chapter, Team Boom vs Team Pop and Team Ice vs Team Gravity. It's gonna hurt.**

**Sal out!**


	12. Ch 12: Noh Fear

**Ch. 12: Noh Fear**

Bakugou stared up at the building that Midoriya was currently hiding in. He could feel the familiar sensation of sweat running over his gloved hands as he paced back and forth, waiting for All Might to start the match. He could hear his teammates talking but he couldn't be asked to care as he knew exactly how he was going to win. He'd walk in, destroy Deku, his froggy friend, and the two nobodies from 1-B, and he'd do it his way. There was always the chance his teammates would get the bomb before he was finished but as long as Deku learned his place before then, that was fine by him.

"Let's see, our opponents are Midoriya and Asui as well as your class's Bondo and Shiozaki," Iida began as he poured over the map. Tsuburaba was dressed in a casual-looking outfit consisting of a light-colored jacket and pants with a dark shirt underneath will Yanagi was dressed in a white, fur-collared kimono and a black mask, almost like Shoji's. Iida couldn't help but feel overdressed in his knight suit but he designed it with pride so he'll wear it with pride. "I believe it would be prudent to exchange information on our quirks and theirs before making our plan." The two nodded before Iida continued and quickly explained how his Engine worked, as well as how he understood Midoriya's and Asui's quirks.

* * *

"**Pay attention, kids and think about what you would do,**" All Might advised as he and the teachers put on earpieces. _'Young Midoriya, you probably aren't happy about being the villain considering the life you've lived but I'll hope you'll forgive me for the unlucky draws…'_ All Might thought as the students watched the two teams come up with plans. Well, most of the students. Minoru was thumbing through Izuku's quirk notebook, trying to see what he could figure out about what his friend was thinking.

"Find anything good?"

"I have a feeling I know how Zuku's going to do this," Several members of the class turned to look at Minoru as he shut the notebook, "As well as how Bakugou is going to respond."

"Hey, isn't that the notebook from our poker game?" Ashido asked as she remembered the book.

"Yeah, it's Izu's quirk analysis book," the class looked at Ochako with a collective look of surprise.

"Wait, you mean he was writing all that down?" Jirou's surprise filled her voice as she realized that Midoriya was basically studying them.

"Just the basics, really," Minoru turned his attention to the screen that showed Izuku and co. around the bomb, discussing something. Bondo was easily the tallest guy in the room while also somehow being the absolute smallest. Minoru could see how uneasy the big guy was as he was practically shaking in his baggy costume as he quickly shook his… odd shaped head. Minoru couldn't be sure but it reminded him of a glue dispenser crossbred with a spider from the seven eyeholes he had. Shiozaki, the girl with vine-like hair and a white robe for a costume meanwhile, seemed to be exasperating Izuku as the boy just shook his head and placed a hand to his chin to think.

"Though it would be nice if I could hear what they were saying…" Ochako bemoaned as she stared at the silent screens.

"We turned the sound off so that Midoriya won't cheat when his turn is over," Aizawa clarified, "I'm well aware of how easily he could abuse his quirk… especially to help his friends."

"Yeah, no, that's fair enough. He's always been the kind of person who looks at a rulebook and just goes 'I don't see anything saying that I _can't_ so I _will_'." Minoru looked at a few of the other feeds throughout the building but something was bothering him…

* * *

"My quirk is Poltergeist," Yanagi began, voice slightly muffled by her face mask, "I can control objects up to a normal person's weight."

"My quirk is Solid Air and it lets me make barriers out of the air I breathe out," Tsuburaba explained, "I think Shiozaki's hair is made of vines she can control and Bondo can spit glue."

"So, we're up against two people who are able to make traps against us and I can only imagine how Midoriya and Asui will approach this."

"What about him?" Tsuburaba pointed to the still pacing Bakugou, curious about his quirk.

"Hm? Oh, he makes explosions with his hands," Iida replied bluntly.

"That's a little less detail than before," Iida could only shake his head at Yanagi's response.

"He wasn't a part of the poker game my class had to get acquainted with each other so I'm afraid I don't know much about him,"

"All you need to know," Bakugou growled over his shoulder, maintaining his stare at the door, "Is that I'm going to crush Deku and win. And I don't need your help to do it."

"I think we should be fine as we have your hateful classmate over there."

"Hateful?"

"It's _usually_ how she says 'scary', though in this case, I'm not all that sure," Tsuburaba answered, "By the way, which one is 'deku'?"

"**ALRIGHT, it's time to begin our first indoor combat training!**" All Might shouted over the loudspeaker, "**Team A and Team D, your time starts now!**"

**_*SLAM*_**

Before anyone could even think of moving, the front door was kicked open, revealing the masked Izuku, surprising everyone.

"That would be 'Deku'," Iida anxiously replied as Izuku walked out of the doorway onto the sidewalk, "Midoriya, you honestly can't expect to take on four people at once by yourself!"

"Don't need to," Izuku turned his gaze towards the scowling face of Bakugou, "After all, I doubt Kacchan would accept any help in his quest to beat me into the ground," Bakugou blew his lid and charged Izuku at full speed, launching himself with his quirk. Just as he was about to waste Izuku, he, completely unseen, dropped a pebble from his hand. Bakugou swung and hit only air as Izuku used his warp to reposition himself before grabbing the blond by his arm and launching him through the open doorway. Iida tried to follow up but his kick was just as successful as Bakugou's attempt and had his other leg tripped out from under him and then punted across the back. Bakugou ran out of the doorway and was met with the now-flying Iida, which Bakugou barely managed to dodge. Izuku turned around to the class 1-B members of Iida's team. Both looked at him with apprehension as Izuku had his way with their teammates.

"You two might want to take Iida and go after the bomb," Izuku offered, voice friendly and non-threatening which only made him all the more unsettling after they watched him send their teammates flying.

"You're just going to let us go for it?" Before Izuku could answer, Bakugou was back on him, ready for Izuku's warping. Izuku popped and Bakugou was ready to erase the area in front of him but Izuku got the drop on him, literally, this time landing on Bakugou's back and driving him into the sidewalk. Izuku quickly flipped a coin into the street to teleport away as Bakugou lit up the area above him, "Come on over, Kacchan," Bakugou turned towards Izuku with a glare that could kill as the teleporter just stood out in the streets with his arms out. "You and I both know _this_ is what you want."

"Bakugou, he is clearly playing you!" Iida shouted as he stumbled out of the doorway, a little unsteady as he gathered his bearings.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Bakugou shouted as he jumped over the railing into the street, "Just go get the damn bomb! I'll deal with Deku."

"Iida, we've only got ten minutes!" Tsuburaba yelled as he and Yanagi ran for the open door, pushing past the armored hero. "If you want to stop them from fighting, we need to get the bomb and win!" Iida gritted his teeth before running after his teammates, hoping he can secure the payload before the two hurt each other.

Bakugou, instead of charging Izuku like last time, started measuring his opponent. He checked his arm and gauntlet for any tags, only to find none.

"Are you messing with me, Deku?" Bakugou spat out, voice full of venomous fury.

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about Kacchan," Izuku replied with an overly innocent voice.

"Stop calling me 'Kacchan'!"

"Stop calling me 'Deku'!" Izuku fired back, completely dropping the act. Bakugou couldn't see Izuku's face from behind the smile mask but even he could tell that the boy in front of him was getting tired with him, "What, you think that only _you_ get to call people by names they don't want? If you want to call me 'Deku', fine, but you better be ready for the consequences." Silence followed for a few seconds, only for Bakugou to finally speak up.

"If you were telling the truth about what happened to you, then you have more than one quirk, don't you?" Izuku was glad that his face was covered or Bakugou would have gotten his answer without a word. The boy took a deep breath to steady himself before crossing his arms and leaning back, head cocked inquisitively.

"What?"

"You said you were kidnapped by a villain that could give you a quirk. If this villain you claim that kidnapped you is real, what I want to know is, why only one? What villain sees the chance to make a superweapon and doesn't go all the way with it?" Izuku didn't have a response, his brain too fried from shock that Bakugou theorized he had more than one quirk.

"How am I supposed to know that? I lost my memories,"

"You still expect me to buy that?!" Bakugou shouted as he closed the distance, "I'll just beat the truth out of you then!" Bakugou fired a blast in front of Izuku, not close enough to hit him but enough to cloud his vision. Too bad for Bakugou that Bio Scanner existed in Izuku's head as he was able to follow the faster blond as he tried to sneak attack him, allowing the warper enough time to get out of the way of the follow up.

* * *

"Holy crap, Midoriya's got balls if he's taking Bakugou head-on like that!" Kirishima gushed as the class watched the two go at it. Izuku had the early advantage but with each passing second, Bakugou started to regain ground. Any tags left on the ground were immediately destroyed by Bakugou's explosions as he tore up the asphalt to remove Izuku's ability to get the jump on him. Izuku fought in a passive manner, focusing on feints and defense rather than anything resembling true offense while Bakugou tried everything he could to pin Izuku down for a beating, demolishing everything in his path to catch him.

"Either that, or he's incredibly foolish," Yaoyorozu theorized, "Bakugou has a clear advantage in power so what's his play here?"

"I think the advantage might not be as vast as we've been led to believe," Tokoyami pondered.

"Yeah, you wouldn't think someone as scrawny as him would be able to launch Iida like that with just a kick!" Sato boisterously commented.

"It's because of Bakugou's power that Zuku needs him gone," Minoru answered, "Or more specifically, not doing what he's supposed to be doing."

"Now that I think about it, Izu did say that fighting Bakugou in a group wouldn't be a smart idea because of how widespread his explosions could be."

"So, he's trying to stop Bakugou from going after the bomb by having him target someone he's got beef with?" Kaminari asked, earning a nod from Minoru.

"That means his plan is to either run out the clock or capture Bakugou by himself," Jirou remarked, "But why is Bakugou even fighting him if it isn't the goal?"

"Pride, probably. Zuku beat him in the entrance exam and then again in our quirk test. Now, he's being thrown around like a ragdoll. He probably wants to prove he's better than Zuku is." Minoru rationalized, before pointing at one of the screens showing the indoor hallways that were following the rest of the hero team, "Though there's something… off about Zuku's plan here…"

"What do you mean, Mineta?"

"Zuku has a teammate that can make glue and another with vines, right?" he asked the members of 1-B, who nodded, "Then, why didn't they just put down a glue trap inside the door where he threw Bakugou and then cover him with vines so he would be out of the fight in the first minute? It would've beaten Iida too since he was also sent flying. It's just weird to me that Zuku would leave money on the table like that..." Everyone looked at each other with shared realization as they absorbed what Minoru had said, especially the teachers as they watched the match unfold.

* * *

Iida ran past his two partners as they charged towards the stairwell. Iida couldn't hear any explosions. All Might hadn't said that anyone was eliminated so that must mean that the two were still in the match but had stopped fighting for some reason.

"Iida! Stop!" Tsuburaba shouted, breaking Iida free of his thoughts, before coming to a sudden halt due to Yanagi using her quirk on him. Good thing too as Iida looked down to see the floor of the stairwell covered in clue on every single surface. The walls, the stairs, the _railings_.

"Midoriya doesn't leave anything to chance, does he?" Iida mused as he looked for a way past the glue.

**_*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*_**

Iida looked back towards the entrance as the sounds of Bakugou's explosions could be heard clearly.

"We should hurry," Yanagi suggested.

"Looks like it's my time to shine!" Tsuburaba boasted as he took a deep breath before letting it out, creating a solid platform barrier over the stairs. He began to huff and puff, creating a new stair to lead them over the glue, allowing them to finally get to the second floor.

"Great job, Tsuburaba! Now we can continue!" Iida applauded as he and Yanagi followed up after him.

"This building has five floors and they most likely place the bomb on the top floor," Yanagi theorized as she hopped up after the guys, "I fear you'll run out of breath by the time we get there."

"Do you have a better plan?" Tsuburaba asked as all three landed on safe, glue-less ground.

"I do. We instead, use a combination of your quirk and mine to ascend to the top floor from outside."

"I see! Midoriya would have wanted all of the stairs covered to prevent us from continuing. If we went from the outside, we'd be able to save time."

"Let's look for a window out that Midoriya won't see us from." The three combed the floor, with Iida finding a side window first. After regrouping, Yanagi lifted Tsuburaba with her quirk to let him build the platforms for his teammates, without fear of falling.

'_I feel like I'm dead weight…' _Iida thought as he dejectedly watched as Tsuburaba finished building the last platform to the fifth floor, _'Their quirks are far more useful than mine here… I'll just have to work extra hard in combat.'_

"Uh, guys?" Tsuburaba called out, voice worried, "We've got a problem!"

"What is it?" Iida shouted out to his floating comrade.

"The windows are all covered in vines on the fifth floor. We'll have to go in through the fourth."

"Nothing gets by them, does it?" Iida placed a hand over his helmet at Yanagi's words.

"Of course, they would try to cover the windows. With Bakugou being able to fly, he'd have no reason to use the door," Iida jumped onto the first platform before offering his back to Yanagi to carry her up. She jumped onto his back and began their ascent to the fifth floor to join Tsuburaba, "Though that won't be enough to stop us! Yanagi, lend me a hand!" Yanagi nodded as she levitated Iida in front of the vine-covered window, allowing Iida to easily kick through the vines, using his armor to protect his legs. After the impromptu gardening, Iida poked his head in to find the entire floor covered in glue.

"They set all this up in five minutes?"

"Midoriya seems like a very hateful person…" Iida looked over his shoulder to Tsuburaba who shrugged.

"It's 'scary' this time," Iida nodded as he began to formulate a plan. They needed to know what room the bomb was in, and fast. How much time did they have left?

"**_ONLY FIVE MINUTES REMAINING! BEST PICK UP THE PACE, HEROES!_**_"_ All Might's booming voice shouted over the loudspeaker, as well as the earpieces in their ears. Half of the match was already over and they still knew nothing about where the bomb, or the other team was.

"With all this glue, we can be certain that it's on this floor," Iida pulled out the map and looked at the fifth floor to see which room would be the best spot for it, "Here," Iida pointed to the largest room at the back of the building, "This would be the best spot for the bomb to be."

"Okay, I've caught my breath. I'll build us a way forward," Iida moved out of the way to let Tsuburaba on the windowsill to begin making platforms over the glue floor, slowly but surely leading them to the main hallway that led to the bomb room. Tsuburaba, lungs starting to burn from all the huffing, tried to pick up the pace but just as he passed by an open doorway…

**_*WHAM*_**

Out of nowhere like a bat out of hell, Tsuyu flew through the doorway and delivered an absolute screw you of a double kick into Tsuburaba's side, sending him flying into the opposite room into a patch of glue before she herself latched onto a wall to prevent herself from falling in. Iida and Yanagi looked on in stunned surprise, only being broken by All Might's voice.

"**_Young Tsuburaba has been captured and eliminated! Three left!_**_"_

"So sorry, 'heroes', but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to stop you here, ribbit," Tsu croaked as she launched her tongue towards Iida, only for the speedster to kick it away.

"Iida, apologizes about this,"

"About whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!" Before Iida could finish, Yanagi picked him up and threw him down the hallway with her quirk, determined to get him to the safe floor of the bomb room. Iida quickly fired up his engines to give him even more speed as he flew towards the door. Tsuyu took advantage of the distracted girl and shoved her off the platform onto the glue below before looking towards the flying boy.

"**_Young Yanagi has been captured and eliminated! Two left!_**_"_ Iida was no longer being propelled but had just enough momentum to safely land past the glue… and immediately covered in vines that wrapped him up before he had any time to react. He tried to fire his engines only to find them covered in glue. Bondo and Shiozaki stood on opposite ends of the doorway, one looking sheepish as he just rubbed his hands together nervously and the other began to calmly pray, eyes closed to the speedster.

"**_Young Iida has been captured and eliminated! One left! Three minutes remaining!_**_"_

"Well… this is less than ideal…" Iida groaned as Shiozaki unwrapped him and Bondo got to work removing the glue from Iida's legs. While this was happening, Iida got a look at the room and realized that the bomb wasn't there. Iida looked back at the other team as Tsuyu joined in.

"Bondo, you may want to get the other two," Bondo quickly nodded before walking across his glue, completely unaffected.

"Where's the bomb?"

"On the third floor," Shiozaki answered, finished with her prayer.

"What?" _'Targeted Warp!'_

"Pretty good plan, right?" Tsu bragged in her usual monotone, "Izu had a feeling that Tsuburaba could make air platforms and Yanagi could lift people so he had the idea to place glue on the first staircase to fool you into thinking we place glue on _all _of them. He believed you'd try to get around it by going outside where you'd see the vines on the windows and the glue on the floor and believe that the bomb was on this floor," Iida looked on, incredulous that Midoriya and co had so completely outplayed all of them.

"What kind of six-dimensional chess is that guy playing?!" Tsuburaba exclaimed as Bondo carried him and Yanagi into the room and set them down on the non-glued floor, "Are you telling me he knew _exactly_ what we were gonna do before the match even _started_ while going on nothing but _assumptions_?!"

"He truly is hateful…" Yanagi muttered as she shook her head at how badly they were outmatched.

"Indeed…" Iida sighed as he removed his helmet, dejected at his failure. He happened to catch a glimpse of Tsu looking confused before...

**_*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*_**

...The whole world started to crumble around them...

* * *

"**_Young Tsuburaba has been captured and eliminated! Three left!_**_"_

Bakugou and Izuku stopped fighting for a brief moment in the torn-up street to look at the building behind the green warper. Izuku was thankful for the small break in the action, as Bakugou was getting faster and stronger as the fight continued from all the sweat he was producing. Not helping matters is that Izuku couldn't really get close and when he did, he would be swiftly repelled or he had to half-commit to attacks just to keep Bakugou from realizing that fighting him wasn't what Izuku was trying to do.

"A bit too fast for my liking but that's fine, I guess…" Izuku muttered under his breath, voice annoyed, "I had hoped that it would be a bit closer to time running out but I guess if they have too…"

"What are you-"

_"**Young Yanagi has been captured and eliminated! Two left!**"_

"What am I what?" Izuku asked innocently, "You didn't finish."

"**_Young Iida has been captured and eliminated! One left! Three minutes remaining!_**_"_

Bakugou heard the announcement and growled. His entire team had been eliminated without Izuku's losing a single member.

"How's it feel, Kacchan, to be so completely defeated?" Bakugou stopped growling, though his scowl only deepened.

"What did you say?"

"Think about it, why am I fighting you out here, completely alone?" Bakugou thought about it for a second before it hit him, his eyes widening in shock.

"You were distracting me…"

"DIng, ding, ding, we have a winner, folks!" Izuku exclaimed with a clap like a gameshow host, "I bet it took every brain cell in your head to figure that one out after I pretty much spelled it out to you." Bakugou looked at Izuku like he just finished killing his whole family but Izuku continued, "You're strong, Kacchan, I won't deny it so I needed you far away from the fight that was actually important. This, this right here, is just me indulging your weird fixation on me to keep you from winning. _You're_ the one that decided to fight me instead of just going for the instant-win. _You're_ the one that has this weird desire to beat me despite the fact that we haven't seen each other in over a decade! _You're_ the one that's going to be blamed for this loss and the entire hero course gets to see it happen live. If you had ignored me, you could have beaten us easily but you just couldn't help yourself, could you? You just had to stick it to me, to prove you were the best because that's all you care about. It was the same when we were kids with you telling everyone 'I'm gonna be the best hero ever'! News flash, you aren't the best and you won't be the best. Not while I have anything to say about it. Congrats, Kacchan, you're a failure!" Izuku pulled out a roll of capture tape that All Might had given to him earlier, "With that said, I think it's about time we wrap this embarrassment up."

Bakugou had enough and pulled up his gauntlet, aiming it at Izuku.

_"He doesn't strike me as the kind of person to go with things for aesthetics so what's with the big-ass **grenade gauntlets**?"_

"_His quirk lets him **sweat nitroglycerin** from his palms so facing him in a group would be ill-advised."_

"_I'm not sure how much it's grown but most likely it's enough to cause **major damage** to a **wide area** if he could get that many villain points on the exam."_

Izuku's eyes widened before placing a hand to his earpiece, "Tsu, get out of there!"

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, DEKU!"

"**_Young Bakugou, st-_**_" _Too late.

**_*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*_**

Bakugou had already pulled the pin and an explosion so loud it could be heard from the main building roared out, far eclipsing any blast Bakugou had shown since he had arrived, making even his performance in the entrance exam look like him throwing firecrackers in comparison. As the dust settled, Bakugou observed the scorched earth in front of him, a feeling of instant regret settling in his stomach. Izuku was gone and the building behind him had the entire front of the first floor blown out, causing the building to start to lean towards him. He finally heard footsteps to his left, seeing Izuku stomp slowly up to him. Fists clenched in rage, a dark red aura burned around him, and from the two eye holes of his mask, piercing red eyes full of fury.

"**Bakugou…**" The blond heard his name in the double layered voice of Izuku, now seeing someone that was the complete antithesis of the boy he knew.

And it screamed at him, with bloody murder in his cry.

"**BAKUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!**"

* * *

"IZU!" Ochako screamed as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"TSU!" Minoru cried out as he clenched his fists, unable to tell if his friends were okay. The explosion's shockwave blew out all of the cameras, preventing anyone from seeing anything.

Aizawa had expected a number of things today. A bunch of school kids given the freedom to use their quirks after years of being unable to and told to fight each other was a classic recipe for disaster.

He just wasn't expecting it to be happening _this_ quickly.

"**All students, report in!**" All Might shouted, desperation in his voice. The students were all looking on in shock.

"_We're okay…"_ The voice of Tsu came through the other end, causing All Might to sigh with relief, though the students shouting "what?" on the other end, didn't make him feel any better about what happened. _"We're all on the ground at the back of the building."_ All Might was overjoyed that most of his students were fine but he still felt a massive weight in his stomach, unable to tell what happened to Bakugou or Midoriya.

"**Young Midoriya, Young Bakugou, come in!**" All Might received no answer from either boy, causing his fears to grow.

"Stop the match, All Might," Vlad commanded, voice concerned while holding back a very clear rage, "Midoriya could be injured or worse."

**_*beep* *beep* *beep*_**

Aizawa pulled out his beeping phone and his eyes immediately widened in shock. Aizawa quickly bolted from the room, scared for his students for what was coming. Everyone looked on, confused by what that was all about.

* * *

Bakugou fired off an explosion at Izuku, who dodged it like it was moving in slow motion before he delivered a jaw-splitting punch to Bakugou. He followed up by warping the gauntlets off of Bakugou's wrists, grabbed him by the collar of his costume and threw him down hard on his back. Izuku quickly jumped onto him and grabbed his hands and forced them back towards Bakugou's face, holding them there so that he couldn't use his quirk. Izuku deactivated Rage Shroud as Body Burst was more than enough to hold down Bakugou without his explosions, just as Tsuyu and co. quickly rounded the corner and saw what was happening.

"Bondo, Shiozaki, bind his hands to his face!" The two nodded as they ran over, spraying Bakugou's hands till they were glued to the sides of his head before wrapping them tightly with vines, finally defeating the blond, as he cried out in frustration. They couldn't see Izuku's hair but his eyes were plainly visible, green as they ever were. Tsuyu and Izuku shared a knowing glance, Tsuyu's worried gaze making Izuku wince.

"All Might hasn't called the match yet," Iida realized as the absence of the familiar voice became too much to bear.

"The explosion probably knocked out the cameras so no one knows we're done out here." Izuku theorized before sitting down on the ground, slightly exhausted as he turned on Bio Scanner to see Aizawa sprinting towards them, only slowing down when seeing the unharmed Izuku and struggling Bakugou.

"All Might, I've got Midoriya and Bakugou down here, both fine and Bakugou's been captured. Call it."

"**_Young Bakugou has been captured and eliminated! The Villain team wins!_**_"_

Bakugou immediately stopped struggling as if hearing All Might proclaim his defeat was all it took to calm him down. His eyes went wide as he just stared at the sky, lost in thought. "Is everyone okay? No injuries?"

"I've got a sore rib cage from Asui kicking me into next week," Tsuburaba joked as he rubbed his ribs, "Also, is anyone's ears ringing?" Everyone nodded and voiced their agreements but everyone seemed none the worse for wear despite the scare.

"Vlad, can you get Recovery Girl for us?"

"_Anything serious?"_

"Tsuburaba might have cracked ribs from Asui but otherwise, ringing ears seem to be the only injuries."

"_Small miracles, it seems."_ Aizawa then turned his gaze to Bondo and Shiozaki as he gestured to the almost catatonic Bakugou.

"If you would?" The two immediately released their quirks, allowing Bakugou's hand to fall free of his head, only to have himself pulled up by an irate Aizawa, "As for you, the principal and I are going to have a long talk after class about firing an attack like that at a classmate, am I understood?" Bakugou looked down at the ground, not resisting, "Well?"

"Understood," Bakugou's voice was low, no longer full of the same rage as before.

* * *

The two teams walked into the observation room, little more than tired from Recovery Girl fixing their ears and ribs as well as the match they just had. Ochako and Minoru were the first to greet them, worried sick.

"Izu, Tsu, you're both okay!"

"Don't scare us like that!"

"Yes, because _I_ was the one that fired that thing," Izuku snarked as he pointed at the still unresponsive Bakugou, "But I'm sorry I scared you guys,"

"That match was insane though!" Kirishima shouted as he and the rest of the first years gathered around the two teams, "I can't believe how one-sided it was!"

"Your team really had it all planned out by the looks of things," Yaoyorozu praised.

"Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you…"

"**Now, I know you all want to praise the two teams on their match but we should first review it as a class.**" The two teams lined up, all eight standing before the two classes, "**Now, in my opinion, the MVP of this match is Young Bondo!**"

"Yeah, let's go Bondo!" Izuku praised as he clapped, causing everyone else to join in, causing the big guy to sheepishly rub the back of his head.

"You earned it," Tsuyu added with a smile.

"A well-deserved win," Shiozaki followed up with a smile of her own.

"A-ah… t-thanks guys," Bondo spoke in a quiet, almost whisper.

"And he speaks too. What have we done to receive such a blessing?"

"**Now, can anyone tell me why Young Bondo is our MVP?**" Yaoyorozu, in a split second, rose her hand.

"Sir, while the villain team had solid teamwork for three of the four members, Bondo was a deciding factor in all four of the hero team eliminations. Tsuyu and Shiozaki were key players as well but it was thanks to Bondo's glue that they were able to defeat the villain team as quickly as they did. Midoriya, however, contributed very little to the team's success, only focusing on fighting Bakugou to keep him away from the bomb instead of just capturing him early as Mineta had suggested earlier." Izuku, Tsuyu and Bondo all turned to look at Shiozaki.

"Let me guess, he said we should have put a glue trap at the door, right?" Izuku asked, catching Yaoyorozu and the rest of the students off-guard, "I'm just saying, we had five minutes and I didn't want to waste it arguing over what was considered a 'sinful strategy' of curb-stomping everyone in one minute. She wanted to give everyone a chance to shine so we went with the compromise of me playing decoy to the man that could have blown down the whole building. Yes, my part in this plan was _very_ dumb. I couldn't even get in close enough to capture him." Bakugou wanted to scream. He wanted to so much but kept his mouth shut for now. Here was Deku, the boy who beat him, telling everyone that he couldn't with a straight face.

"I thought it had to be something like that," Minoru remarked with a smirk, "You were always one for the cheapest wins ever."

"If it's in the game, I'm gonna do it," Izuku claimed with no shame.

"We, of course, knew this from listening in on the plans," Aizawa revealed, "We won't be giving any tips on how you should do this as you learn more from your mistakes rather than your successes."

"Though it didn't matter in the end, Shiozaki, you must remember that no matter how devious the scheme, solving situations quickly and efficiently must take priority to save as many lives as possible. After all, Bakugou's attack could have been averted if the match had ended quicker." Vlad King lectured. The vine-haired girl seemed to reflect on her teacher's words.

"While we're here, might as well touch on the hero team. Yaoyorozu?"

"Sir!" she nodded, "Tsuburaba and Yanagi were clearly important to their team as their quirks' utility outside of combat allowed them to get around all of the traps until they reached the villains. Iida, however, was severely hampered by the situation and was unable to contribute much of anything. Bakugou allowed his judgement to be clouded by a personal grudge and was completely reduced to a non-entity for the majority of the match, with his only impact being a poor thought out attack against Midoriya." All Might started quivering a little in shock.

'_The eye on this girl is something else…'_

"**Well, there are a few things you overlooked, Young Yanagi focusing on getting Iida to the bomb instead of turning the glue against Young Asui is one such thing, not to mention the seven to eight figures in property damage caused by Bakugou but otherwise,**" All Might held a thumbs up, "**I couldn't have said it better myself!**"

"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That's the only real way to become a top hero," Yaoyorozu said with pride.

"**Anyway, let's blow this joint and move onto the next match! I want you all to think about what you saw and what we discussed as you tackle this training for yourself!**"

"Yes, sir!"

"**Next matchup will be…**" Out of the hero box, the letter "C" followed by the letter "B" from the villain box, "**Hero team C verses villain team B!**" Ochako gasped quietly, surprised that her team's letter came up so soon, especially after what she just witnessed.

"Looks like we're fighting the Iceman and his band of merry friends," Minoru remarked as he and their two other teammates walked up. The blond boy, Monoma, was dressed in a stylish suit and tie for some reason while the ginger-haired girl, Kendo, was in a qipao with a corset around her stomach.

"I'm looking forward to working with all of you!"

"You should feel honored to have my assistance," Monoma bragged, immediately causing Minoru to rub his forehead in exasperation.

"Why is it today, all I have is bad feelings?" All Might looked on, feeling a sense of pride as well as a sense of dread.

'_This will be your next test on the road to becoming a hero, Young Uraraka, and I know you have what it takes to win. Though I'm hoping for your success, I must remain impartial and fair. Good luck.'_

* * *

"So, your quirk lets you copy other quirks?"

"Indeed, though I have to be careful since there's a limit to how many I can copy at once until the five minutes are over. I can copy two at once right now.

"That gives us four, maybe six, extra quirks the whole match," Minoru added before turning to Kendo, "What about you, beautiful?" Kendo slightly blushed at the sudden compliment but quickly shrugged it off.

"My quirk is Big Fist, which lets me enlarge my hands," She says spiritedly as she demonstrates, causing her hand to grow to gigantic proportions. Minoru quickly bit his tongue from saying anything perverted before refocusing on the team. He and Ochako explained their quirks as well as the quirk of Shoji and what they knew of Todoroki's quirk. "Well, Kodai, if I remember correctly, can make nonliving things bigger or smaller."

"Shishida's quirk is a transformation quirk, causing him to turn into a truly massive beast. His quirk would be a great one to steal if it weren't for the cramped environment we'll soon find ourselves in."

"Unless he pulls a Zuku and kicks the door down at the start of the match…"

"You think he would?"

"No, not really, though it doesn't help us much," Minoru scratched his head as he plucked a grape, "The other team seems pretty stacked from top to bottom so we'll need a good plan, especially if we want to survive the first minute."

"You think they'll eliminate us that quickly?"

"Only if you don't follow my lead."

* * *

"You sure?" Shoji asked as he eyed Todoroki. He was wearing a solid white jumpsuit with ice covering the entire left half of his body, with a red lens to see out his left eye. Shoji kept it simple with a sleeveless blue bodysuit while Kodai had a red and white bodysuit and Shishida had no shirt, a pair of goggles and a pair of pants to call a costume.

"Vlad King said to be efficient and quick with defeating the opponents and that's what I plan to do," Todoroki, in an emotionless tone, explained. It sounded good to Shoji… in theory but something was nagging at him like he's forgetting something.

"**Alright, match two, BEGIN!**" All Might shouted over the loudspeaker. Shoji turned his stubs into working ears, allowing him to hear everything happening in the building. He morphed a mouth out of one of the ears to speak. "They're inside, having taken a second story window."

"I expected Uraraka to float them up to the top floor but this is fine." Before anyone could say anything, ice poured out Todoroki's right foot, coating the entire room in ice before it spread to the rest of the building, quickly overtaking it.

"Well, I suppose this _is_ the most efficient way to do this," Shishida remarked, disappointed that he wouldn't get a chance to do anything.

"Doesn't make it any less insulting." Kodai remarked, tone more monotone than even Asui's but still conveying her bitter feelings. The team waited for All Might to call the match…

For about a whole minute.

"Geez, you done yet?"

"I've been done for a while now."

"..."

"..."

"What was that Uraraka girl's quirk again? Gravity Shift?" Shishida asked, causing Shoji to mentally slap himself. Now he remembered what was nagging him about Todoroki's plan.

"She floated her whole team over your ice."

"Well, great job, Frosty. You've accomplished nothing. Shoji?" He quickly broke out the ears and scanned for any noises.

"They're on the third floor now."

"Well, we'll go stop them while you guard the bomb," Kodai and co quickly left the room, leaving Todoroki to quickly seal it off from the outside world, leaving him to wait patiently for the match to end.

* * *

"He froze the whole building?! That's insane!" Kaminari shouted, with everyone around him agreeing. Bakugou at the back of the room, just stared on in shock, completely in awe of the power on display. Izuku, and the teachers as well however, didn't seem all that impressed by the look on their faces, especially Izuku who already figured out what Todoroki had done wrong as he watched the villain team slip and slide around the building.

_'His ice production is amazing, sure, but why did he leave all that ice lying around on the_ _floor?'_

* * *

"Told you this would happen," Minoru gloated as the team floated across the icy floor, "I just knew he'd try for the fast win after what Vlad King said,"

"I think he would have gone with this anyway," Ochako remarked as they reached the stairs to the fourth floor.

"It would definitely have been effective if we couldn't float but I think I could have broken this easily," Monoma bragged with a smirk, his hair now yellow orbs.

"That's only because you copied everyone's quirks so you could use them. Otherwise, you'd be screwed, and I'd be laughing," Minoru reminded him with a smirk of his own.

"I just wish it wasn't so cold in here…" Kendo said as she shivered, trying to warm up her bare arms by furiously rubbing her hands across them.

As they arrived at the fourth floor, who should be there but the villains themselves as they slipped and slid down the uneasy path of the icy floor.

"Looks like you guys are having a fun time on the skating rink you call a hideout," Minoru mocked.

The other team, not much for words, readied themselves. Shishida, however, was almost a sitting duck as his quirk would make him too big so of course, Mineta and Ochako went after him first while Monoma copied Kendo's quirk to took on Shoji and Kendo herself fought Kodai. Shishida threw a punch to Ochako who dodged it thanks to her One For All speed and grabbed his body and shoved him forward while increasing his gravity, sending him into a welcoming batch of freshly picked grapes from Minoru, taking him out in record time.

_"**Young Shishida is captured and eliminated! Three villains remaining!**"_ The villains had no time to react as Ochako was already all over the distracted Kodai, who was busy firing super sized lug nuts into Kendo's massive hands. She was immediately flipped over Ochako and body slammed into the floor, onto more grapes. _"**Young Kodai is captured and eliminated! Two villains left!**"_ Shoji, realizing the numbers game was against him, decided on the more… tactful option.

"I surrender," he put his hands in the air as the four surrounded him.

_"**Young Shoji has surrendered and is eliminated! One villain left!**"_

"You made a wise choice," Monoma smirked.

"You guys might want to get out of here," Minoru advised as he and Ochako helped the other two villains off the floor. The three villains nodded before making their way down the stairs towards the exit.

"That was pretty easy," Ochako cheered.

"Speak for yourself, you weren't pelted with giant rocks," Kendo snarked as she walked up, hands covered in bruises from Kodai launching large rocks at her.

"We're on the clock, people! Let's get moving!" Monoma shouted, already walking up the slippery stairs, causing the others to follow after him.

As the group arrived at the fifth floor, they were greeted with a massive wall of ice that blocked them from the bomb room.

"Okay… now what?"

"Well, I can punch much harder with my quirk so if all three of us punched at once, we might be able to bust through."

"Worth a try," Kendo nodded with her and Monoma lining up to punch through the ice wall. Ochako collected One For All through her body to her current limit of 6% and all three crashed into the wall as hard as they could.

If the wall could, it would have laughed at them.

While the wall was spider-webbed like shattered glass, it was nowhere near enough to break through. Ochako looked at the wall with a downcast look on her face, ashamed of her lack of ability to use All Might's power. Before they had any time to come up with a backup plan, the ice reformed and started to spread, forcing the team to back up quickly or get caught in it.

"Run!" Minoru shouted as they all sprinted as fast as they could on the ice away from the oncoming ice wave, "Ochako, remove our gravity. Kendo, Monoma, get ready to punch our way out!" Everyone nodded as the team quickly worked to fulfill Minoru's escape plan. The team now ready to fly, ran towards a window. Kendo and Monoma wound up and punched straight through the less solid ice window, allowing the hero team to escape Todoroki's counter attack.

As all four heroes of the match landed on the safe ground, they watched as the hole Monoma and Kendo blew open was sealed quickly with more ice. Minoru quickly looked at the windows on the bottom floor, watching them quickly become opaque as layer after layer of ice was stacked over it.

"He _really_ doesn't want us coming back in." Ochako shivered as she still felt the cold of the building.

"Our triple punch must have put the scare in him,"

"**Five minutes remaining!**" All Might shouted, reminding everyone still in the match of the time limit.

"And then there's that…" Kendo remarked as she looked to her "captured" opponents who were standing just outside as the hole that Shoji broke to escape filled back in with more ice.

"Indeed, Pop Off is gone now so we're definitely running out of time." Monoma ran a hand through his normal hair, glad that the yellow balls were gone.

"We'll never be able to break through all this ice to get to the bomb in time… at least not safely…"

moo

"Do you have a plan, Minoru?"

"Um… well…" Minoru shifted, awkwardly trying to find the right words.

"Well?" Monoma inquired impatiently.

"It's an incredibly dumb plan but… all this ice has weight," Minoru explained nervously.

"Gravity Shift…" Ochako whispered in shock, with Minoru nodding solemnly. In her surprise, she didn't notice Monoma gently poke her and copy her quirk.

"If we use Ochako's quirk to increase the gravity of both the building and the ice, it will cause the whole thing to come crashing down."

"But Todoroki is still in there!" Kendo reminded him, "He could get seriously hurt from all that ice shattering."

"Not to mention the weight of all the ice landing on him with the bonus weight. I did say it was a dumb pla-" Minoru was cut off by the sound of the building behind him being punched before it began to groan. As everyone was focusing on the plan, Monoma, using his copied quirks, had begun increasing the gravity of all the ice and the building simultaneously. The ice started to crack dangerously, alerting everyone to the building's impending doom.

"Monoma, you idiot!" Kendo shouted, clocking Monoma out cold with her massive fist.

"Kendo, now he can't release the gravity!" Ochako shouted, causing Kendo to wince as the building started shifting away from the group where Todoroki's room was.

"Ah… shit."

The building crashed into the street with an earthshaking crash, causing debris from the ruined building to fly in all directions. As the dust settled, Team C looked at the ruined building with awe. Shoji had done his best to shield his teammates from the shock wave of dust as he too looked at the chaos before him. Lying in this pile of rubble was a half-conscious Todoroki whose only relevant thought was "What the hell just happened?" His whole body ached from the shock of the fall as well as the possible hypothermia from standing in that room for so long.

_"**T-the hero team has recovered the bomb! The hero team wins!**"_ Todoroki looked up from where he was lying to see Ochako and her team, including the unconscious Monoma, all next to the bomb with the gravity girl's hand on the fake bomb, mercifully bringing the match to an end. They all quickly ran over to help the icy boy, concerned for their classmate.

"Todoroki, are you alright?" Minoru and co. took stock of Todoroki's appearance. His body was covered near head to toe in frost with his body viable shivering from the cold.

"W… what happened?"

"Monoma copied Ochako's quirk and then made the building and your ice super heavy to get to the bomb."

"There's a rare sentence," Kodai noted.

"The ice is so light though," Shishida mentioned as he picked up an icy rock. It then hit Minoru why it was light now.

"His quirk timer must have run out as the building was falling and it must have reset the gravity before it could crush him." He turned to the now standing Todoroki, "You got _so _lucky that you didn't get killed today."

"Hurry it up already," The group turned to see a very annoyed Aizawa. Clearly, he wasn't having a good day. "We haven't got all day, you know."

"Yes, sir!" Minoru took one last look at Todoroki, watching as the frost that covered him turn to steam in the blink of an eye. He could also feel a wave of heat overtake him as it came from his dual-haired classmate.

_'He can make heat too? Might need to tell Zuku about that.'_

* * *

"**Clearly, in spite of the result, the MVP is Young Todoroki!**" The students all gasped in surprise but Aizawa and Vlad just nodded.

"Shouldn't it be from the winning team?"

"**Excellent question. Can anyone tell us why one of the winners isn't the MVP?**" Yaoyorozu and Izuku both raised their hands.

"You want to go first?" Izuku offered.

"I had the last one so you lead off,"

"Fair enough." Izuku stepped forward, "The most obvious reason would be that Todoroki was able to shut down the entire enemy team single handedly and forced them to use extreme measures that _no sane hero_ would ever go for," Izuku emphasized as he looked at Monoma, who at the very least showed a hint of shame, "Though he wasn't without his own flaws. His ice ended up causing nothing but problems for his team, especially when the enemy can just float over it. His teammates were completely overwhelmed due to the numbers advantage and lack of stable footing. Also, no member of the hero team performed especially well in comparison to the other members. Minoru was the one to capture the villains but he left the fighting to the more physically capable members of the team."

"Dude, could you imagine _me_ trying to body slam people like Ochako can?"

"I would be surprised if you threw a punch." Tsuyu countered.

"So would I, honesty!" Minoru said with a smile.

"The closest the hero team had would be Ochako herself due to her quirk being the only reason her team won due to the insane method they needed to even stand a chance of winning." Yaoyorozu added.

_'Two incredible analysts... it almost feels like they could teach the class...'_

All Might thought to himself as he felt a drop of sweat run down his brow.

"It's worth pointing out that all but Monoma was against the plan from the start and Mineta, while the one to came up with it, immediately called it the stupid plan it was."

"So, I'm not in trouble, right?"

"Not yet but if you keep giving bad plans, you might be one day," Minoru nodded his head, just glad he wasn't in trouble more than anything else.

"**Other than the obvious blunder, both teams performed admirably. There's a lot to work on but it's your first day so that's to be expected. Now, on to the next match, this time, with less buildings falling down please!**

"Yes, sir!" As the next match was being set, Todoroki stared at Ochako, the one whose quirk beat his. His face was very calm but he could feel a rage burning underneath.

_'I need to get stronger...'_

Bakugou was also staring at the brunette, unable to process just how powerful some of his classmates were... and how close they were to being better than him, if they weren't there already. Ochako, meanwhile, just looked at her feet. She had pretty much tuned out most of what was said, too lost in her own world as she saw just what kind of damage she could do with just her own quirk, not just One For All.

She saw it and it terrified her...

* * *

**A/N: No one is safe from Ochako's gravitational pull of death and destruction. The heavens quake with fear of the girl who will bring down the sky itself!**

**...Okay, enough of that nonsense.**

**Reviews:**

**ProjectIceman: I know, right? Who would buy such a story? Technically, he did mix a bit of Noh into it as the mask isn't like the hood mask Izuku wears. It's a mask of a smiling face that takes up his whole face with the hood separate, unlike the canon costume which has the smile as a mouth guard. That's on me, I thought it was clear what I was going for. As for 1-A and 1-B's joint lessons, I literally went with this _just _to have Monoma bring that building down instead of Ochako. Yes, I dragged 19 other people along because I needed this one dude. Shut up, because it works. I needed to show just how insanely dangerous her power is now while also keeping her hands clean… for now.**

**Guest: This review is funny to me but I can't say why because that's a spoiler. Also, fair point on Mino. Honestly, the hardest part of his character now is finding ways to maintain a minor version of his perverted nature because that's not an inherently bad trait for a character. It's just Mineta's canon perversion is _way_ too out of control.**

**Also, congrats everyone, we have our first f-bomb! Ready the confetti! Should I increase the rating to M or is that too much for one bomb? What would you say is the tasteful limit?**

**Still need a beta. Will no one be my beta?**

**Next chapter: Elections and air horns and Ochako needing hugs.**

**Till next time, Sal out!**


	13. Ch 13: Reality Check

**Ch. 13: Reality Check**

**Team J Vs Team H**

"RARGH!" ***Ding* **"ARGH!"** *Thud***

The sounds of Kirishima and Tetsutetsu exchanging blows in an almost rhythmic fashion filled the empty hallways as Kirishima would deliver a rock-hard blow to Tetsutetsu, only for the metal skinned teen to strike back just as hard.

It was also really boring to watch and repetitive as all hell as a straight right hook and tanking the counter seemed to be the extent of their combat strategy.

* * *

"How long do you think they'd go at it without a time limit?" Minoru asked, baffled at how silly the fight looked.

"I dunno, maybe six years, give or take," Izuku snarked while he wrote in his notebook.

* * *

Meanwhile on the top floor near the bomb, the rest of Team J arrived to find the whole floor completely dark.

"Well, this sucks," Sero complained before a large claw wrapped around him and Komori. Kuroiro turned to help but was punched in the gut and then sent flying by another impact by a dark figure.

"We've captured Sero and Komori," Tokoyami reported, though before All Might could say anything...

"No, you haven't!" Komori countered, releasing a massive cloud of spores from her body, covering everywhere around her in mushrooms, including her opponents… and their windpipes.

"Can't… breathe…" Shoda wheezed as he started coughing up literal full-grown mushrooms. Tokoyami dropped Sero, who immediately wrapped both in tape to capture them.

"**_Young Tokoyami and Young Shoda have been captured! Two villains remaining!_**_"_

"You go on ahead. I'll help these two with the mushrooms so don't worry about me." Sero nodded as he looked to a returning Kuroiro, who was favoring his stomach as he walked over.

"I see better in the dark so keep a hand on my shoulder." Sero nodded as he was led around the top floor. They eventually came across a room with a closed door. Both men tried valiantly but couldn't open the door at all. Sero tried from outside but found the windows completely covered for the whole floor.

"She blocked the door _and_ the windows. We need Kirishima if we're gonna get in since I can't just swing in," Kuroiro nodded before putting a hand to his earpiece.

"Kirishima, we require assistance on the top floor," Silence.

"Kirishima?" More silence.

"He's gone dark. What a miserable fate for us." Downstairs in the punch box lunchbox, the two tanks continued their unyielding macho slugfest, too focused on their brawl to think about anything else.

"**_TIME'S UP! The Villain team wins!_**_"_

"Damn, we didn't even get a chance," Sero complained as he and Kuroiro walked away, leaving Yaoyorozu locked in the room.

"Hello? Anyone?" Yaoyorozu sighed heavily before pulling out a pack of C4 and a detonator from her stomach, "I'll just let myself out then."

Back with the two brawlers who finally stopped after time ran out, both looked at each other with fierce looks on their faces while panting from the exertion.

"Looks like a draw," Kirishima noted as he saw the others walking down the stairs.

"For now," Tetsutetsu agreed, "BUT I'LL BEAT YOU NEXT TIME!"

"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" Kirishima then looked at everyone who arrived, before noticing something was wrong. "Where's Yaoyorozu?"

***Boom***

Everyone suddenly looked up at the explosion from the top floor and put the pieces together.

"Oh, I was wondering what we were forgetting…" Sero muttered as he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

* * *

**Team G Vs Team I**

"The bomb is on the fourth floor with the rest of them all in the room waiting for us," Jirou explained as she listened in with her ear jacks.

"Is the entire building metal?" Kaminari asked his teammates.

"Should be," Honenuki answered as he knocked a hand against the metal walls, "Why?"

"I got an idea! Everyone out!"

"Why does that scare me?" Kaibara asked, dread filling his body as the three teammates all ran from the building. Kaminari, chuckling to himself at the supposed genius of his plan, started emitting sparks from his hands before slamming them both into the wall, sending a massive current throughout the entire building. Over the crackling of the electricity, the screams of four others could be heard from above, no doubt getting a hardy jolt.

"Well, they're probably not getting up for a bit." Jirou remarked as she pulled a jack from the ground.

"**_The Villain Team has been incapacitated! The Heroes win!_**_"_

"Well, I guess that'll work!" Honenuki laughed out.

"Great job, Kami-" Kaibara was interrupted by the sight of Kaminari, with a dopey expression and two thumbs up walking out.

"EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH PWAUS AHLPRA!" Kaminari shouted out like he forgot how to speak in anything resembling human tongue.

"PFFHAHAHAHA!" Jirou fell over onto the ground, laughing uncontrollably as the stupefied Kaminari walked back and forth, shaking his hands back and forth.

"What happened to him?!" Kaibara cried out as he watched Kaminari with complete confusion.

"Did his quirk fry his brain?"

"Hahahahaha, I can't believe how stupid you are!"

"Yahey!"

* * *

**Team E Vs Team F**

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Sato screamed as he sped towards Team E in a sugar fueled charge. Aoyama, Tsunotori, and Fukidashi quickly fired a few lasers, shot her two horns like mini missiles and literally shouted "BLAM" and had it fly out like a projectile for covering fire while Ashido covered the floor in acid that it weakened the floor enough for Sato to fall through it from his powered-up stomps, "WAHHHhhh…" ***crash***

"What was his plan there?" Tsunotori asked, confused by the large teen's suicide run.

"It was to distract you," The four turned around and were immediately set upon by small chunks of flesh and birds that began to peck at them furiously. Then came the mantis-headed Kamakiri, who ran through them like a PG slasher movie villain, taking them all down one by one in the chaos, capturing the whole team with some rats slapping on the handcuffs.

"**_The Hero team has been captured! The Villains win!_**_"_

"..."

"..."

"The hell?!" Ashido shouted out as her brain finally processed what happened.

"Yes! A perfectly executed plan!" Tokage exclaimed with glee as her disembodied head slowly had the rest of her body reattached, "Good job everyone!" Behind her, Sato had just finished running up the stairs, costume smoking from the acid.

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking."

* * *

"**THAT'S A WRAP!**" All Might shouted to the forty students in front of him as they stood at the entrance of Ground Beta. "**You all really stepped up to the plate today and we didn't have any major injuries at all. You should be proud of yourselves for an excellent first day of training!**"

"It's nice to have some actually words of encouragement after Mr. Aizawa's test," Tsuyu remarked, scratching the side of her face as she remembered Aizawa's cold demeanor, much to her homeroom teacher's amusement, "Mr. Aizawa was a buzzkill."

"Deal with it," Aizawa countered as he walked up to the front of the group to All Might. "I'm not changing how I teach for anyone." All Might coughed into his hand, leaving a little bit of blood on it. It was time to leave.

"**That's all for now! Watch how a pro leaves: LIKE HE'S GOT SOMEWHERE TO BE!**" All Might quickly sprinted down the tunnel, leaving behind a small windstorm that nearly blew over everyone as it swept over them. After getting out of sight of the students, he quickly ducked into a nearby room to drop into his small Yagi form. _'I barely made it… Shit, how am I supposed to teach a class if I can only barely hold it for one?'_

Back with the two classes, Aizawa and Vlad turned to face them.

"Now then, class is dismissed for today but before you leave, I want to state that I expect my class to be present in the common room later today as we'll be going more in depth into your matches."

"You're not just going to take a nap on us and expect me and Yaoyorozu to do all the work for you like earlier?" Izuku prodded, though Aizawa wasn't fazed.

"Really, I'd love to, but with so many flaws on display today that didn't get mentioned, it's only fitting that I name and shame all of you. Fastest way to become better is to know your weaknesses and fix them."

"Class 1-B, you can expect the same from me later as well," Vlad gruffly stated, "The best heroes need to take every opportunity to improve themselves." The class all nodded to their red clad teacher before he turned his attention to Monoma, "Monoma, stay after. Everyone else is free to go."

"Yes, sir!" As Class 1-B left, Aizawa eyed the sources of his headaches today.

"Bakugou, Midoriya, stay as well." Everyone raised their eyebrows at the mention of Midoriya but thought nothing more of it when Izuku himself didn't seem all that fazed by it. After the rest of 1-A left, it left the three troublemakers alone with their teachers. "You three, follow." Aizawa ordered as he and Vlad turned to leave. Izuku didn't need to think for even a moment as to why Aizawa made him stay behind. He lost control. He used Rage Shroud and in front of another student. While he managed to keep it to only First Step, it didn't change the fact that he had proven Bakugou right. It also didn't help that the teachers were listening in on their entire conversation.

After a silent ten minutes, they arrived at Nezu's office, with Yagi already there in a perfectly dressed yellow suit. _'How the hell did he get in a suit so fast? One more thing that makes him amazing, I guess…'_ Izuku didn't have enough time to be starstruck at his hero before Aizawa spoke again. "Vlad, you can go ahead. Yagi, take Midoriya for me, will you? I want to speak with Bakugou alone."

"Understood," Yagi nodded as he led Izuku out of the room. Vlad grunted as he and Monoma walked into the office. Aizawa turned to Bakugou to see that the blond had not moved or even said anything since the match. The secretary was currently gone so it would be the best time for some answers as they were alone.

"Sit." Aizawa pulled up two chairs across from each other for them as he sat down. Bakugou walked over and dropped down like a lifeless corpse suddenly affected by gravity. His eyes were still hidden from Aizawa by his hair but he could tell that the boy was in a state almost akin to shock. Aizawa pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and began to read. "Katsuki Bakugou, Quirk: Explosion. Graduated from Aldera Middle School at the top of his year in grades. No prior incidents requiring discipline of any kind…" Aizawa looked up towards the blond, "And in four days, has had three different incidents, all directed at one student, one of which could have resulted in multiple casualties. So, with all that said, why shouldn't I have you thrown out of this school?" Bakugou didn't respond for a full ten seconds before asking a question of his own.

"Did you know?" Aizawa raised an eyebrow at the question. He had a feeling he knew what he was asking. Bakugou finally looked him in the eye.

"About Midoriya?" Bakugou nodded, his face softer than he was used to seeing. The boy looked completely different from what he had seen up till now. "I know a lot more than you do."

"So, you know about his quirks?"

"Yes."

"Why is he hiding them?" Aizawa looked towards a nearby window before sighing, annoyed that he has to deal with this crap.

"How much has he told you?"

* * *

Yagi and Izuku sat across from each other in Yagi's teacher room, cup of tea boiling between them on a portable stove and a digital recorder. The silence was a bit unnerving for Izuku, still in his hero costume, as his teacher struggled to find the words to say about what he had witnessed. Izuku decided to take the initiative in the conversation.

"So…" Izuku had a bad feeling by the look on Yagi's face, "Was there something wrong with what I did?"

"Well, we have a few… concerns about your words to Young Bakugou and the fact that you intentionally dragged out the match but the biggest problem doesn't require much explaining, does it?"

"I just…" Yagi put a hand up to stop Izuku.

"I know why you did what you did, Young Midoriya" He began, "You care about your friends' and teammates' wellbeing and to see them threatened like that is nerve wracking. However, you forget just how dangerous that power of yours is. I've seen it. I've _fought_ it. We were fortunate that you had enough control to only stop Bakugou but if you didn't, we'd be having this conversation at a prison cell." Izuku sighed as he leaned back into the chair. "And back to you dragging out the match. Did you think we wouldn't notice that you didn't tag Young Bakugou when you could have?" Izuku shrunk in his chair at the accusation, clearly aware that he was caught. "And then there's what you said to him? Were you intending to break his pride by humiliating him in front of the entire class?"

"..." Izuku stared at his feet in shame as his favorite hero scolded him.

"Why didn't you just come to us about it?"

"Because I don't believe anyone will do anything if I don't show them it's a problem," Izuku finally answered, voice calm but with a hint of frustration, "If I had gone up to you or Aizawa who are, no offense to you, a new teacher with no influence here and a teacher who really doesn't give a damn about me, do you really think it would help anything?" Yagi sat back as Izuku ranted to him, "Bakugou won't change because he only believes that might makes right so the only option I had was to beat him and beat him so thoroughly that he leaves me alone!"

"How can you say that about someone you haven't seen in years?" Izuku was taken aback by the question but quickly recovered as he recalled his childhood.

_"You shouldn't be beating other kids up, Kacchan!"_

_"You don't get it Deku. I'm gonna be the strongest hero like All Might! So I can do whatever I want! And there's nothing a quirkless loser like you can do about it!"_

"W-well… It's how he was when we were kids. He used to bully me just because I didn't have a quirk. He'd beat me up, sometimes even using his quirk to do it. He'd say that because he's got an amazing quirk, he can do what he wants. And he's been trying to do just that since he got here."

"And you believe the only way he'll change is someone stronger than him beats him back down to reality?"

"Yeah!"

"But doesn't that make you as much of a bully as he is?" Izuku's anger disappeared as he took Yagi's question in.

"...What?"

"You said it yourself. You intended to beat him so thoroughly that it embarrasses him in front of all the first years in the hero course. You intended to show him that _your_ might makes _you_ right. All you've done is validated his thoughts and he'll just focus on becoming stronger in a fight, rather than become a better person." Izuku gasped as he realized what Yagi was trying to tell him before burying his hands in his face, "I know people like Young Bakugou. People that are so determined to be the best that if they aren't, they'll just keep trying to get stronger until they are. In a way, there's a chance you've made the situation worse."

"I… I didn't think about it that way," Izuku muttered as he ran through all the problems his plan could be leading to. Bakugou would be more desperate than ever to prove himself, making him more dangerous than ever.

"Leave Bakugou to us, and in the future, if you have a problem with another student, please come to us first and don't take matters into your own hands from now on."

"Yes, sir…"

"I'll go have a conversation with the principal and I'll get back with you later. I doubt you'll be in any trouble but he might have some questions for you." Yagi finished his tea before standing up and grabbing the recorder, "Also, I want you to know that you did an excellent job today otherwise." Yagi flashed a smile as he left the room, leaving Izuku feeling a bit better but the thoughts that he made the situation worse didn't disappear.

* * *

"I see," Nezu spoke after listening to what Bakugou knew about Midoriya's situation. Aizawa had heard it already but he realized that Nezu needed to be filled in as well. After Vlad and Monoma were finished, with the boy looking a bit dejected but not defeated. "Well, I can confirm that everything he said is true to a degree. The only part that's technically true but isn't the full story is the fact that he was given _a_ quirk. Other than that, the rest is actually the truth." Bakugou looked at Nezu with baffled awe, completely unable to process how it was the truth.

"Then… Why is he here?!" Bakugou's rage had returned, with the world not making any sense to him, "If he's a villain's lab rat, why would he be let in to the top hero school in the country?!"

"You want to know?" Aizawa leaned forward, voice low as he got in Bakugou's face, "It's because he's dangerous and if he's left on the street without proper training, he'll hurt someone before long." Bakugou was about to argue back before Aizawa activated his quirk and stood up. "Quiet." He said with an emphasis that stopped Bakugou like a solid wall, "I don't want to hear whatever nonsense you have to say. You've caused enough problems in four days than most students have done in three years. I've looked into your past yesterday and it's clear to me that you've been babied for most of your life because of your strong quirk. I'm _done_ with your absolute immaturity, Bakugou. I was content to leave it be for now since I thought my threat two days ago was enough to keep you in check but, clearly, it wasn't."

"I must agree with Aizawa," Nezu admitted, "We simply can't have this continue to happen. I understand that not everything makes sense to you but it doesn't have to." Bakugou looked at Nezu, confused, "If you want to be the best, what Midoriya is doing here shouldn't be a priority to you. You instead should be focusing solely on becoming a better hero so that you, one day, can be the best hero." Bakugou calmed down as he took in his principal's words, "On that note, I'm going to have you do weekly sessions with the school counselor, Hound Dog."

"Counseling? I'm not some basket case that needs help!" Bakugou shouted as he leapt to his feet.

"We're not telling you you're crazy, we're telling you that you need to stop having these outbursts that could kill someone," Aizawa explained, "Though if you don't want the counseling, we have no other options."

"Bakugou, I'm afraid I'll have to have you removed from the hero course if you don't accept the counseling."

"WHAT?!"

"You have caused far too many problems and as such, The reality is that I'm required to take action. I don't have to be your enemy, Bakugou, since I'm genuinely trying to help you become the best hero. But you've got to work with me and that means respecting not only my rules but also my students. And yes, that includes Midoriya. Now, if you have any complaints about this, I'd be happy to hear them." Bakugou glared at the principal for a few seconds before turning away with a scowl, "I'm glad we've reached an understanding. Aizawa?"

"Let's go," Aizawa ordered as he made his way to the door, opening it to find Yagi about to knock on it.

"Ah, I take it you're finished?" Aizawa and Bakugou passed without a word, leaving Ya go confused as he stood in the doorway, "I'll... take that as a yes, then."

* * *

"ARGH! I can't believe how bad we got stomped!" Ashido cried out as she laid on the sofa, sulking from her team's loss. The rest of the girls in her class were seated with her in the common room, amused by their classmate's overly dramatic antics. Eri, sitting on Tsu's lap eating a cookie however, just seemed confused due to the lack of context.

"Well, at least your team remembered you and didn't leave you locked in a room," Momo countered as she worked through her homework while eating a large bag of chips.

"Or that you got to do anything at all and didn't have one teammate do all the work," Jirou added as well, not looking up from her phone.

"Or that you didn't get electrocuted in ten seconds, like me!" Hagakure exclaimed, miffed about the whole thing. Ashido suddenly seemed to realize that most of the girls weren't having a good day.

"Oh wow… today just sucked for all of us, didn't it?"

"The only one of us that had a good match was Asui, wasn't it?"

"You can call me Tsu, I don't mind," Tsu said as she combed Eri's hair to start braiding it.

"Okay, Tsu it is!" Ashido, now more energized now that she knew she wasn't the only one who was upset about the matches. "Call me Mina then!"

"I guess being on a given name basis with you all would be a nice change," Yaoyorozu smiled at the idea.

"That's the spirit, Yaomomo!" Toru exclaimed.

"Yaomomo?" Momo asked, now confused at the nickname. While the girls were going at it, Eri noticed that Ochako hadn't said a single word since she got back and just been staring off into space for a while. She also noticed that no one else seemed to think anything of it like they all knew why.

"Tsu, is Ocha okay?" Eri asked, which seemed to break Ochako out of her staring contest with the coffee table.

"Oh, I'm fine, Eri!" Ochako quickly spoke as she sheepishly tried to reassure her small friend, "I'm just thinking about something, that's all."

"About what?" Ochako nearly panicked as she realized that Eri was a little girl and that they tended to ask questions when you're being vague with them.

"Um… Uh…"

"She's just in a bit of shock from how strong she is," Tsu quickly answered, saving her friend. "You just leave her be for a bit and she'll be back to her old self soon." Eri nodded, as she moved out of Tsu grasp to hug Ochako's arm, earning a smile from the brunette with Tsu joining in as well.

"Thanks, gir-"

"GROUP HUG!" Before Ochako could move, Mina and Toru were already on her, burying her in a big ball of cuddles with Kyoka and Momo looking on with smiles on their faces. Minoru was sitting at the kitchen's bar counter playing on his phone as he watched the whole thing, slightly confused as to why the girls were suddenly having a hug-fest. Not that he at all minded. As this was going on, Izuku finally walked in, looking like he was thinking about something as he mouthed words that Minoru couldn't hear. Izuku walked over and sat down next to Minoru and immediately warped his notebook into his hand to start writing.

"That bad, huh?"

"Not really. He just asked that I not step on landmines," Izuku answered with a shrug.

"I mean, sound advice right there," Minoru argued as he returned to his phone.

"Where's everybody else?" Izuku asked as he looked around.

"Most of them went to their rooms. Iida wanted to wait for you but also wanted to get his homework done so I guess being a good student is his priority." Izuku nodded as Inko walked up.

"I heard you got held behind with Katsuki today," Inko's voice was calm but with a hint of concern for her son.

"I was taunting him to keep him busy and he didn't appreciate that."

"Izuku..."Inko decide to drop it and ask Aizawa later. "Well, how was the rest of school?" Izuku's eyes lit up at the question.

"It was so cool!" Izuku beamed, "Seeing all these heroes and having them teach us is incredible!" Minor snickered at his friend's enthusiasm.

"He's saying that now but when exams come up, he'll be singing a different tune."

"Well, I'm just happy you're having a good time in class," Inko felt a little more relaxed but the lingering unease wasn't going away easily. She turned to return to cooking dinner.

Back towards the girls who finally stopped squeezing Ochako to near death, returned to sitting down.

"I take it you're not used to your quirk's destructive capabilities yet?" Momo inquired, earning a shake of the head.

"It's only been about six months since I learned how to turn gravity up and I guess I never realized that it could do something like that…"

"Well, it just means you've got to be careful, no?" Mina suggested, "I mean, my quirk can burn my skin and it's _my_ quirk. I remember my doctor telling me I could turn someone to a puddle of goo like he was running a scared-straight program."

"Mine told me I could potentially give someone a heart attack if I ran vibrations through them at a specific frequency," Kyoka added.

"And with my quirk, I can manufacture just about any weapon in the world if I've got the schematics and the molecular makeup. I can make anything from a handgun to a live grenade, a high-powered rifle, landmines, claymores, an RPG-"

"Okay, we get it! You're the deadliest woman in the world and I don't want to mess with you _ever!_ Just _please_ stop!" Toru quickly exclaimed in fear of the grocery list of murder weapons Momo had access to at any given moment. The girls didn't notice Izuku writing down the said list as he heard it, as well as all the other things he could overhear.

"I think what they're trying to say is that it isn't your fault your teammate dropped a building on someone and that it's you who decides how your quirk works." Tsuyu reassured Ochako as she finished braiding Eri's hair into nice twin tails.

"That means a lot, everyone." Ochako said with a warm smile, feeling much better. "Oh, it looks so good on you, Eri!" Ochako gushed as she played with the double tails. Before she could play with Eri more, Aizawa walked in with Bakugou next to him, no longer in his hero gear. He took a look around at the common room to see all the girls and Izuku and Minoru. "Midoriya, Mineta, go get the rest of the boys." Both nodded as they stood up and walked into the elevator, leaving the confused girls and one Bakugou who took a seat nearby, looking completely adrift in his own head.

"Time for the shame game?" Tsuyu asked as she set Eri down next to her.

"Not yet. We'll have it after you've all had dinner but I have something I need to have you all do before that." The girls suddenly felt anxious at the ominousness of Aizawa's words as he walked over to Inko in the kitchen. "How much longer?"

"Hmm… I'd say thirty minutes," Inko admitted as she looked over the work, earning a nod from Aizawa. Five minutes later, the rest of the class showed up and took seats wherever they could as Aizawa walked up to the large widescreen TV attached to the wall. "Now, before we do anything else, we need to discuss your futures…"

'_Now what?! More quirk tests?!'_The class all began to worry at what diabolical plan Aizawa had for them after what they all went through already.

"You need to decide on who's going to be the class representatives," If the class wasn't sitting, they'd have fallen to the ground in equal parts relief and bafflement at Aizawa's overly grim tone at something so mundane.

'_Or just normal school stuff,'_

"Pick me guys!"

"I'll take it!"

"Yeah, you'll need me," Before long, the entire class had started to place bids for becoming the class reps.

"What's the big deal?" Izuku whispered to Ochako.

"Well, ordinarily, it's not but since we're hero course students, it looks much better to be a class rep when you're being scouted by agencies."

"Oh, like showing that you know how to lead others in the field." Izuku looked at the fervor of the class around him with a smile, "I guess everyone would be tripping over themselves for this."

"EVERYONE, PLEASE!" Iida, finally having enough of the wild shouting match, stood up from his spot. "The class reps' duty is to lead others! It's not something just anyone can do! You must have the trust of everyone! Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically! We will hold an election to choose our leader!" Iida suggested, hand raised to the sky as he started to shake.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to vote for Iida then?" Minoru snarked as he shook his head.

"Is that the best idea?" Kaminari asked, unsure of the plan.

"We haven't been here a week. Who do you trust?" Jirou countered.

"Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves." Kirishima added on.

"Most people will but that just means that the one that does receive multiple votes is the best person for the job! It's the best way to decide, right sir?!"

"Do what you want. You have until dinner's over to decide." Aizawa ordered, somehow pulling his sleeping bag from complete nowhere and stepping into it for a nap.

"Thank you for your trust!" Izuku started ripping paper out of a notebook he wasn't using yet and got out twenty sheets, all marked.

"Yaoyorozu, can we get a hat?"

"Certainly," Yaoyorozu pulled a silk hat out of her arm and handed it to Izuku as he and Ochako handed out the sheets.

"Okay, just write your vote and hold it up for me to collect it." Five minutes of quiet decision making and vote collecting before they finally had a winner.

**1: Izuku Midoriya: 4 votes**

**2: Momo Yaoyorozu: 3 votes**

**3: Denki Kaminari: 1 vote**

**4: Toru Hagakure: 1 vote**

**5: Katsuki Bakugou: 1 vote**

**6: Hanta Sero: 1 vote**

**7: Fumikage Tokoyami: 1 vote**

**8: Mezo Shoji: 1 vote**

**9: Mashirao Ojiro: 1 vote**

**10: Eijiro Kirishima: 1 vote**

**11: Mina Ashido: 1 vote**

**12: Kyoka Jirou: 1 vote**

**13: Koji Koda: 1 vote**

**14: Rikido Sato: 1 vote**

**15: Yuya Aoyama: 1 vote**

**16: Tenya Iida: 0 votes**

**17: Ochako Uraraka: 0 votes**

**18: Tsuyu Asui: 0 votes**

**19: Minoru Mineta: 0 votes**

**20: Shouto Todoroki: 0 votes**

"Not sure what I was expecting to happen there," Izuku snarked as he eyed the results with bemusement, "I guess the predictable is predictable for a reason…"

"Well, we can at least know that your friends have your back to the end, huh, Midoriya?" Sato joked joyfully, not too concerned that he didn't win. Minoru, Tsuyu and Ochako all gave thumbs up as well as smiles for their new class rep. Iida, meanwhile, was shaking in disappointment.

"Not a single vote... "

"I don't think you have the right to be upset if you didn't even vote for yourself, Iida," Sero pointed out as he watched his classmate tremble.

"It just means that I'm not worthy of the position, which is fine! That's what democracy is for!" Iida, still shaky, tried his best to smile through his own lack of enjoyment with losing.

"Your class rep is Midoriya and his deputy is Yaoyorozu. Good for them. Now go eat so I can grill you all over an open flame for the mess that was today."

"Yes, sir..." the class muttered, energy drained from the room in one sentence.

* * *

The next day went smoothly for Class 1-A as there were no surprise tests or mundane announcements that were treated like life and death from Aizawa and normal morning classes that went off without a hitch. Lunch had arrived and it was the first chance most of the class had to talk since that morning. Perfect for Iida to drop a bomb on his friends.

"I've been hearing this disturbing rumor recently," Iida began, voice a bit weak from his lack of confidence at what he was saying. "That there is a student in the hero course with a criminal record and is here on probation." Izuku, calmly, stopped eating to look at Iida while the other three at the table looked on with fear in their eyes. As they looked between each other.

"That's crazy talk!" Minoru said with a nervous smile.

"That's what I believed at first but then I thought about it and I realized that it might hold water!"

"So?" Izuku asked, feigning any real care about the rumor.

"So?! How can you be so calm about something like this!" Izuku shrugged, not seeing the big deal about all this.

"Fairly easily. How does someone with a criminal record affect me or you? It's you that has to graduate to get a hero license, not this random mystery guy. The school is run by one of the smartest people in Japan. I'd bet good money he already knows and approves of this person being here so I'm sure it's fine. It's probably just someone who's been given a second chance by the school."

"But this isn't just any school! This is U.A., Midoriya-"

"But it _is_ just any school," Izuku countered, catching Iida off guard, "Strip away all the prestige, all the alumni, all of the bells and whistles, it's just a school for heroes and a hundred different other things. Why does it matter to you so much? What if it was me for instance?" Iida stopped, almost unsure of what to say, "Well? What if the criminal was me? What if it was Minoru or Ochako or Tsuyu?"

"I... couldn't possibly believe any of you would be criminals… Especially not the person I voted for class rep!"

"Okay, but that doesn't-" Before Izuku could continue, a bell started to ring.

"_Warning: Level three security breach. All students, please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."_

"No way!" another student shouted in shock.

"Wait, what's a level three security breach?" Iida asked the student.

"It means someone broke past the barriers!" He explained in a panic as he flew from his seat to the nearest exit, as well as the rest of school.

"Orderly fashion, huh? I guess it's out of style," Izuku snarked as he handed Minoru his notebook, "I'll go check it out, you guys go on without me."

"Midoriya, I can't let you jus- *pop* and he's gone…" Iida remarked in defeat as the four ran for the exit. Izuku popped in his homeroom and ran to the windows overlooking the entrance to the campus.

"Okay, that's a lot of reporters…" Izuku remarked as he saw the wave of reporters, desperate to get in and only being held back by the security detail on hand. All of whom were looking mighty frustrated by the turn of events.

"Just let us talk to All Might! We know he's here!" One reporter demanded.

"It's his day off so no, he isn't," Present Mic clarified.

"Just give us one comment and we'll leave!"

"I know how you people work. Give you a meter, you'll take the country," Aizawa dodged as he and Present Mic did their best to block the door.

"You know, they _are_ trespassing so that technically makes them villains-"

"Don't you dare, unless you want to have your name dragged through the mud. Just wait for the cops."

"Well, that looks… less than pleasant but it's nothing worth freaking out about so…" Bio Scanner went off but the reading was lost in almost the same second. It wasn't enough time for Izuku to recognize the threat but it was definitely a large one, leaving Izuku on edge as he ran across the building in search of it but found nothing. "Damnit…"

* * *

Iida was having a long week. He got completely shut out by Midoriya's team the day before and then loses the vote for class rep to the same boy. Then the rumor of a criminal infiltrating the hero course starts putting him on edge, making him suspect anyone of secretly being a villain-in-waiting. And now, he has his face squished against the glass of a window looking out towards the crowd of reporters, unable to get everyone to calm down.

It was only day two at U.A. and his whole world made no sense anymore.

'_Am I the only one who knows that everything is fine?!'_ Iida asked himself as he watched two of his classmates get swallowed up by the tide of humanity trying to flood through the too narrow hallway.

"Ahh!" Uraraka's voice reached Iida's ears as he saw the gravity girl being carried by the crowd's constant pushing.

"Uraraka!" Iida called out, grabbing her attention.

"Tenya, help!" Iida quickly shimmied across the wall, moving up the crowd as best he could.

'_What would my brother do? What would Midoriya do? How would they handle this?'_ Iida suddenly had an idea and reached out to his friend. "Touch my hand and make me float!" she stretched as far as she could with their fingers almost touching…

***BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*** The crowd came to a halt at the sound of an air horn fired from above them. Izuku, knife lodged in the wall next to him in one hand and air horn in the other, looking very unamused as he stood on the exit sign with unbelievable balance.

"Now, if we're done wetting ourselves, I'd like you all to look to your right and see the crowd of reporters out front." Everyone turned and immediately saw the crowd, "There are no villains here, just the press looking for All Might. Everything is fine and no one is in danger. Now, let's try the orderly fashion thing again." Suddenly, the sound of sirens rang out, calming everyone down as the police arrived to escort the press off of U.A.'s campus. Izuku warped back down to where Minoru and Tsuyu were standing, knife and air horn put away to wherever he got them from. Iida watched on in awe as his classmate had defused the situation so quickly.

It was clear to him that he voted for the right person.

* * *

"_So, how'd it go?"_ At an out-of-the-way bar, Kurogiri was shining glasses before the television turned on by itself.

"The security was a lot tighter than ever before. There were pros there already before we entered," Kurogiri admitted to the voice coming from the TV, "But even so, Shigaraki managed to get the class schedule for All Might. The class with the most promise appears to be this Friday at around 1:30 PM."

"_Very good. We're ready with Nomu but since there's more security, I'll send some more… insurance your way."_

"Thank you, Sensei,"

"_By the way, how is he?"_

"About the same as always, sir," Kurogiri said with a dreary sigh, "He hasn't quite gotten over his fight with… the boy."

"_Be sure to look out for him. This is one opportunity for him to become what I know he can be..."_

"_The Symbol of Fear."_

* * *

**We're getting close. You can almost taste it. USJ is probably going to be my favorite part of this whole thing outside of a few specific events I have planned out for, such as what will eventually replace the Chisaki arc.**

**Nothing really worth noting this chapter other than my computer was lagging hella bad for some strange reason, making this a pain in the ass to write, and even bigger one to proofread. Right click and the whole thing freezes for like… ten seconds. It's actually why I cut the chapter where I did since this was supposed to lead into USJ but whatever. I can make this work since there are a few things I want to do that I was saving for later but it might actually work better if I did them sooner.**

**Review:**

**ProjectIceman: I'm glad you enjoyed the mayhem. I wanted to make a situation where neither party is truly guilt-free in the first match and I'm glad it worked out. The second match, however, was the one I was most looking forward to as it was one of the first things I came up with when I decided to give OFA to Ochako since it will lead nicely into another event later.**

**Next chapter: ;)**

**Till next time, Sal out!**


	14. Ch 14: Heartbeat

**Ch. 14: Heartbeat**

Nezu stood at the now ruined front gate alone, still waiting for the rest of the facility. He had sent them to ensure that all the students were safe and accounted for while he inspected the damage. It looked like the gate had melted into two piles of rubble. He pulled a laser thermometer and pointed it at the rubble. "84 degrees so that rules out fire. So, what caused this?" He placed a paw on one of the two mounds of steel and noticed it was all fused together still but strangely weak as well as it crumbled in his paw. "Couldn't have been by impact or there would have been more debris. It's almost as if it was somehow melted and then instantly cooled but it's far too brittle for that. Did we remember to put cameras facing the gate?" Nezu looked around and found that they had… and that it was now missing. The camera that was supposed to be watching the gate had been sliced off with the cleanest cut Nezu had seen in quite some time. "That camera was held up by reinforced steel to prevent it from breaking in case of storms. A quirk must have done this. Wouldn't you agree, Yagi?"

"Good afternoon to you as well sir," Yagi remarked as he walked down the street towards the gate, dressed in a t-shirt and baggy pants to not arouse any suspicion, "I heard about what happened."

"Well, it's a shame you weren't here since all of them came for you," Nezu remarked with a smile as he resumed his investigation.

"I can't leave for a couple hours to visit Nana without the whole world going to hell?" Yagi then took a look at the rubble himself. "Did you figure anything out?"

"I'm still unsure as to the reason behind it but…" Nezu stood up to face Yagi with a serious look on his face, a rare sight for the Number One Hero, "I have a hunch that I know who did this," Nezu replied as he started walking towards the main building.

"Really?" Yagi reacted with surprise but considering it was Nezu who was talking, he really shouldn't have been.

"Yes. Gather the facility at the conference room. We'll need to discuss this immediately." As Nezu walked away, Yagi couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

* * *

Izuku was standing on the front lawn of his class's dorm going through his aikido routine to take his mind off the nagging feeling he had. He was thankful class had been cancelled because he was almost certain he wouldn't have been able to concentrate. Ever since he felt that threat in the main building, even if it was just for a split second, he just couldn't relax. The thought that someone dangerous had broken into the school was filling him with dread and he could almost recognize who it was but it was just too brief of a feeling to really lock onto. It was so bad; he didn't even realize that Ojiro and Kirishima were watching him practice.

"Hey, Midoriya!" Kirishima cried out as the two walked over. Izuku stopped dead and checked to make sure his heart didn't. He _really_ hated being caught off-guard, even more so when it was completely his fault for not paying attention. "Heh, sorry to scare you there," Kirishima chuckled as Izuku straightened up and gave the two a friendly smile.

"No, it's on me. I was just lost in thought,"

"Thoughts about the break in?" Ojiro asked.

"Something like that. I just can't shake the feeling that something's wrong…" Izuku explained as he scratched the back of his head.

"Eh, I'm not worried!" Kirishima replied with a wide smile, flashing his sharp teeth, "We've got the teachers and All Might to keep us safe as well as the other pros hanging around campus! If anything bad happened, they've got this!"

"It would be best to leave things to them," Ojiro agreed, "By the way, Midoriya, I didn't know you practiced aikido," Izuku looked at Ojiro with a small look of surprise before smiling.

"Yeah, good eye. Though I'm probably nothing special."

"Whoa, you knew exactly what martial art he uses from just watching him?!"

"Well, I'm a martial artist myself and have been studying a variety of different disciplines. I just happened to recognize it." Ojiro said with a sheepish grin, "How far along are you?"

"Officially, fourth kyu." Ojiro raised an eyebrow at the answer.

"How good is that?" Kirishima asked, being completely unfamiliar with the terminology.

"Depends. Aikido doesn't really have a uniform system," Ojiro began, though Midoriya continued for him.

"The ranking my master was using started from sixth kyu so I'm still technically a beginner."

"Huh, I would have thought it'd be higher with all those moves of yours. Must not have been at it for that long."

"Five, almost six years now."

"Okay, what?" Ojiro said with a disbelieving chuckle, "You're still a beginner?" Izuku just shrugged.

"It is what it is. So, what brings you two out here?" Kirishima's face lit up as he suddenly remembered.

"Right, I was gonna ask you something. Do you think you can help me train so I can beat that Tetsutetsu guy?"

"You want to beat him… how?"

"Well, our quirks are so similar that it's impossible for me to stand out! We even fight the same way! I need to find some way of showing that I'm different from him and the best way to do that is to find a way to beat him! Mineta said you were studying quirks so I figured you'd be the guy to ask!" Izuku smiled before his notebook popped into his hand.

"Let's see, 'Tetsutetsu'…" Izuku found his page and read it to himself. "Okay, I've got an idea," Izuku took a few steps back from Kirishima and assumed a battle stance, "Okay, come at me!"

"You want to fight?" Ojiro asked.

"I wouldn't call it a fight, per se. More like a demonstration. Just activate Hardening and throw a punch at me."

"Hey, man, I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't worry about me, I'm tougher than I look," Izuku gave a reassuring smile which helped Kirishima feel better. "Besides, I doubt you'll even land one punch."

"Oh, it's on now!" Kirishima's quirk activated as he threw a wide hook at Izuku, who grabbed the arm, kicked out his front leg and shoved him to the ground. Before Kirishima could move to recover, Izuku locked his right arm between his legs and grabbed his left arm with both hands, preventing Kirishima from using them, rolling over, standing, or… much of anything really.

"Ah crap, I can't get out! How strong are you?!" Kirishima struggled but alas, Izuku's grip on him was too strong to wiggle out of.

"Pretty strong but if you're asking me, I still think a quarter of the class benches more than I can," Izuku quipped, "Now, you're probably wondering why I've got you tied up like this." Kirishima stopped struggling for a minute to listen. "This is just a theory but I'm almost certain that your quirk and Tetsutetsu's quirk are only skin deep and don't affect your muscles or your tendons. So, if I wrench a little like this…" Izuku pulled Kirishima's left arm a little towards him, causing it to stretch back farther than it was meant to.

"Ow! That hurts, Midoriya!" Izuku warped himself off of Kirishima, finally letting him go.

"And there you go. You now know how to beat Tetsutetsu." Izuku stood up from the ground and patted himself off.

"Ah, I see what you're trying to teach him," Ojiro remarked as he helped up Kirishima.

"Well, I don't! All he did was try and rip my arm off!"

"It hurt, right? But your quirk is supposed to be about defense." Kirishima calmed down and immediately started to realize what Izuku was trying to tell him.

"Just because your skin is hard, doesn't mean I can't attack your muscles, bones, and tendons while also preventing you from doing anything."

"Oh, I get what you're saying now! Awesome! Now I know exactly how to beat that guy! I'm gonna look up some videos to see if I can learn some more moves!" Kirishima excitedly shouted as he ran into the dorm, nearly punting Minoru as he did.

"Watch it, dude! I'm not a football!"

"Sorry!" Izuku and Ojiro couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange. Ochako and Tsuyu followed out after their now annoyed friend.

"Where are you guys going?"

"Well, one of the teachers called for us," Ochako explained, her face curious, "Said that it wasn't urgent or anything but that they wanted to talk with us." Izuku felt compelled to ask which teacher but decided not to say anything with Ojiro nearby.

"I'll head back inside then. Midoriya, I'd like to spar with you sometime!"

"I'll have to check my schedule but I might be able to fit you in somewhere," Izuku joked as Ojiro walked back into the dorm, leaving the four alone.

"Nice to see you making friends, Izu, ribbit," Tsuyu said with a smile, "Now if only Minoru could get the picture…"

"What did I do?" he asked, confused.

"It's more what you don't do."

"Okay, I think that's enough, you two," Ochako suggested, a bit exasperated by the squabbling, "Besides, we shouldn't keep All Might waiting,"

"Why does All Might want to see us?"

"He didn't say," She answered anxiously, "Just texted me a moment ago and said to bring you, Tsu and Minoru with me."

"Basically, something's gone horribly wrong and he just doesn't want to say it over text," Minoru surmised as the group started walking towards the main building.

"We don't know if anything bad happened."

"When is getting called to the teacher's office ever a _good_ thing?!" The group didn't seem to notice Todoroki watching them from his room's balcony, having heard everything while he was sitting in a chair reading.

* * *

The group quietly walked up to All Might's teacher room with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation. Whatever was so important that All Might had to call them in was concerning to say the least. As they entered the room, All Might was sitting at a table with Detective Tsukauchi and Nezu, an unwelcome surprise for Izuku who immediately went on alert. The detective merely smiled warmly to the group as he stood up.

"Well, Yagi, Nezu, I thank you for the information. I'll relay it to my superiors and we'll work to come up with a plan," Tsukauchi put his hat on his head and walked towards the door.

"Good afternoon, Midoriya," Tsukauchi greeted, allowing the group to calm down and lower their guard somewhat, "I hope school's been going well for you."

"It's pretty hard but I'm enjoying myself."

"Good, good. Don't be afraid to ask the teachers if you need help. You must be his friends, right?"

"Yes, sir," Ochako replied, "I'm Ochako Uraraka," Tsukauchi's eyes widened slightly as he finally got to meet All Might's heir.

"Tsuyu Asui."

"Minoru Mineta."

"You all seem like nice friends to have. Keep his nose clean for me, will you?"

"Oh, you just leave him to us. He'll be back on the straight and narrow before you know it," Minoru replied with pride.

"Glad to hear it. If you'll excuse me then," Tsukauchi opened the door and stepped out, leaving the four with their principal and the top hero.

"Surprised you, didn't it?" Nezu remarked with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, I thought for a second you called us in because of me," Izuku sighed as he and his friends sat down at the table.

"Well, yes and no, but Tsukauchi wasn't here for you but for the break in," Yagi clarified with a friendly grin, "You all just happened to be earlier than we expected."

"So, are we in trouble or…?" Minoru asked, unsure of what was going on.

"Oh, no trouble at all," Nezu quickly explained, "There are just a few things I need to ask you four and you can be on your way."

"Firstly," All Might leaned closer in his chair, "How are you four holding up since yesterday?" The group suddenly realized what he was asking about.

"I'm surprised you're not asking everyone at once," Izuku remarked. "It wasn't just us that went through it."

"Well, you four know about my condition so this allows me to talk without having to suck in my gut for it," Yagi reminded them, "We'll just start with you and talk with the others later." The four were silent for a bit before speaking.

"Well... I'm fine, honestly," Minoru replied with a melancholic shrug, "And while I'm glad no one was hurt, I can't help but feel what happened was my fault since it _was_ my idea and Monoma went ahead and did it."

"But it was _my_ quirk that did it though so I should be blamed for what happened too." Attention shifted to Izuku and Tsuyu.

"I'm just glad everything worked out in the end but… I won't lie and say I didn't have a nightmare last night about what could have happened to not only myself but all of my friends," Tsuyu's voice was as calm as ever but carried the weight of deep fear of what might have been.

"I know I screwed up and should have ended the match so much sooner but that's honestly the least of my worries right now," Everyone in the room turned to Izuku with equal parts intrigue and looming dread.

"Oh?" Izuku began to explain what happened during the evacuation, making sure to mention the threat that he sensed in the main building. After a few moments of solemn silence, Nezu began to speak, no longer smiling, "I see… Thank you, Midoriya for telling us this."

"So, it _was_ a villain that broke the gate," Yagi grimly spoke as he leaned back into his chair.

"I sure I don't need to tell you four that this does not leave this room." The four nodded, with unease running through them. Minoru though, looked ready to run away as fast as possible.

"S-so there was an actual villain in the school…?" Minoru muttered quietly as he shook with fear.

"Well, if Young Midoriya's quirk was tripped by them, we can only assume that to be the truth right now."

"Perhaps we should have asked Tsukauchi to stay a little longer…" Nezu lamented before addressing the students, "While we can't be sure of the motives, I must ask that you place your faith in us to keep you all safe from any villains."

"The villains already broke in! How-"

"Minoru, calm down!" Tsuyu shouted, catching everyone in the room off guard at the rare display of emotion from Tsu, "Crying about it isn't going to help anyone, especially when we get back and have to act like nothing's wrong."

"Right, we should leave this to the teachers since they can handle it better then we can right now,"

"Look, if something goes wrong, I'll just send you back home and you can wait there till it's all over." Minoru could tell that he was probably overreacting but it didn't change the fact that villains got in.

"In any case, I also called you four because I was looking for an opportunity to meet Young Asui and Young Mineta since they're also guarding my secret. While I'm sure that Young Asui will keep my secret safe… I'm a little concerned about Young Mineta. He seems very loose lipped and easily scared."

"Ouch, man. All Might just stabbed me through the heart…" Minoru winced, earning a chuckle from the others.

"It's just a flesh wound. You'll be fine."

"Oh, and before I forget again, may I see your notebook, Young Midoriya?" Izuku looked at Yagi curiously as he handed over his notebook. All Might flipped over to his page and saw a nice open space and started to write in it briefly before handing it back. "I was told that you'd want this." Izuku quickly opened the book again and found in big letters "ALL MIGHT", the Symbol of Peace's autograph was now in Izuku's hero notebook. The boy stared at the page with wide-eyed shock and awe.

"Whoa, so cool! Can I get one?!" Minoru asked, getting one himself. Yagi gave his autograph to each of the four, earning smiles from the teens. Well, most of them.

"Izu, are you okay?" Izuku hadn't moved or said anything. He just stared at the page with his mouth hanging open.

"Oh boy, he's not moving, is he?" Tsuyu asked, only earning a sigh from Minoru.

"Ochako, make him lighter. Looks like we've got to carry him back."

* * *

Bakugou stood outside of the so-called counselor's office with a look of disgust. He shouldn't need to be doing this since there was nothing wrong with him but the rat-bear said he was doing it or else. Bakugou didn't want to but figured standing outside and delaying the inevitable would be cutting into his training time and he'd need every second if he was going to crush Deku into the floor for making him have to go through this shit. He knocked on the door aggressively and waited for a response that swiftly came.

"Come in," a gruff voice called out. Bakugou opened the door to see Hound Dog sitting in a chair reading a book. "Ah, Bakugou, I take it?" Bakugou looked at the man before him. A hulking dog-man with a wild mane of blond hair and a muzzle over his snout. The teen didn't say a word but did sit down in the closest chair to him.

"So, let's talk about Midoriya," Hound Dog began, before being cut off by Bakugou.

"I've got nothing to say about that dweeb of a human," Bakugou snarled.

"Well, let's start with that then. Why do you hate Midoriya? Is it because he was kidnapped by villains?"

"Nothing about his story makes any sense," Bakugou began, anger flooding over, "A quirkless four-year-old is captured by some villain that can give quirks and then he just… shows up out of nowhere like nothing happened and is immediately allowed to enter a hero school because of shit I don't know about and that is shady as hell. How is it that I'm the only one that finds that even the least bit suspicious? How do we know he hasn't been brainwashed and he's some sleeper agent or some shit like that? And don't think I didn't see that other quirk he's hiding!" Bakugou began to shout, "He freaking rushed me down and was way stronger than before and there was nothing I could do about it! He's allowed to hold back every _single_ _**day**_ and our teacher, who _supposedly_ demands the best of us or he'll expel us, just lets that shit slide like it isn't hypocritical that _he_ gets to be the special snowflake just because some villain pumped quirk juice into his useless ass!" Hound Dog kept quiet, listening to Bakugou's rant with a passive look in his eyes as he continued, "And then, he has the _balls _to look down on me and believed he could hold back and still beat me."

"Could he?" Hound Dog replied, but it only seemed to anger Bakugou further.

"Hell no!"

"But I watched the fight myself and I saw exactly what Midoriya _didn't_ do." Bakugou sneered at the counselor's words as he remembered. The lack of glue trap, the lack of tag on his gauntlets, the fact that during the entire fight, Midoriya didn't try to land a single punch at him, only running away and only half committing to attacking to draw him in. "Bakugou, why do you want to be a hero in the first place?"

"So, I can beat up villains and be the strongest around,"

"...That's it?" Hound Dog asked with a raised eyebrow, "You're not concerned with helping save lives or stopping disasters that wipe out entire cities?" Bakugou just looked at him blankly, "You _do_ know that fighting villains is only about forty percent of the job, right?" Bakugou just looked away with a quiet "tsk", "But at the very least, I feel like we at least know where to start with you."

"Oh, for your 'brainwashing me into a good boy'?"

"Well, more like, "encourage you not to make stupid decisions that could get people killed', but hey, whatever helps you." Bakugou leaned back into his chair with a scowl, clearly unamused, "Why don't we start with that second part. That you want to be the strongest. Are you the strongest in your class right now?"

"..." He couldn't bring himself to say it but he knew he'd be lying to himself if he said he was.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then. Who do you believe you have to surpass to become the best?"

"There's Frosty the snow bastard, that spoiled bimbo of a class deputy, the round-faced gravity ditz and then once I've proven I'm better than all of them, I'm going to show Deku that he isn't better than me."

"Hmm, and then what?"

"I'll become the Number One Hero, even stronger than All Might!"

"That's quite the claim. Even Endeavor, who's been at it for years now hasn't been able to come close."

"If I don't strive to be the absolute best, then I have no reason to be here!"

"And that gives you the right to act the way you do? You talk about Midoriya looking down on you but you do the same to him as well," Hound Dog pointed out calmly. "You talk about things being hypocritical in how he's allowed more privileges compared to others but you also fit the bill of a hypocrite yourself.

"What?" Bakugou's voice was low as if he was angry at the accusation.

"Do you believe Midoriya is strong?"

"He's not strong, his _quirks_ are strong and they aren't even _his_! _Everything_ about him is borrowed and it was borrowed from _villains_!"

"But your strength comes from your quirk too,"

"But it's _my_ quirk! I was _born_ with it! It's _mine_ and only _mine_! Not something I got from some kidnapper. He was born with _nothing_! I had to work my ass off every day to get here, making sure I had the best grades, the best physique, the best training I could get and what did he do to get power? He got fed another quirk to make himself stronger! I _refuse_ to say someone like him is stronger than me, regardless of how 'powerful' he is."

"And yet, you still lost to him."

"I won't let it happen a second time. I'm going to train until my god damn legs give out if that's what it takes to beat him…" Bakugou stood up and threw open the door and left without another word. _'Hypocrite? Me? My power is the real deal. His was just handed to him by criminal trash. Deku can't be better than me!'_ But what if he was, Bakugou asked himself.

Meanwhile back in the counseling office, Hound Dog was left with his thoughts as he began to formulate how to work with Bakugou.

'_Why are the brightest stars so troublesome? I'm going to need to work extra hard with this one if we're going to pull out his full potential as a hero.'_

* * *

As Wednesday turned to Thursday, Thursday turned to Friday and it would seem to all the students that the rest of the week would pass without incident. Lunch came and went and it was time for Fundamental Hero Studies, only instead of All Might greeting them, it was Aizawa.

"Today, you'll be doing a special lesson with All Might, myself, and a few other pro heroes." Aizawa said as he lazily held up a card reading "RESCUE" on it. "Today we'll be focusing on rescue training." The class started to celebrate before being immediately silenced with a quirk-powered glare from Aizawa. "You can choose to either wear your hero costume or your gym clothes if you're still uncomfortable with your costume." Aizawa pressed the button for the costumes to appear from the wall. "You have fifteen minutes. Afterwards, meet me out back by the bus so we can get moving. We'll explain in more detail when we arrive. Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, make sure everyone's on time or I'm blaming you."

"Yes, sir!" Aizawa left the room and waited for his students at the meeting point. On his way, he couldn't help but think about what he was being asked to do by Nezu.

"_You do realize that this could put the students in danger, right?"_

"_Considering what we know, are they ever _not_ in some kind of danger? Of course, I have. But our options are extremely limited right now. We could shut down the school temporarily but that would raise too many questions and we still don't know why they broke in to begin with so we don't even know if that would help. They've already shown they can get in and the next step would obviously be an attack of some sort, whether that's to spread fear or just kill as many of us as possible." _

"_We don't even know if an attack is coming,"_

"_We don't know _when_ an attack is coming. All we can do right now is add more security to the classes under the guise of heroes pitching in to teach the students. If it's Class 1-A, we'll just have Midoriya supply the evacuation."_

"_I don't like this."_

"_I know. Neither do I."_

"You okay, Eraserhead?" Aizawa was pulled from his thoughts by a female voice as three heroes walked up. The blonde woman in front was dressed in a full icy blue jumpsuit. The sole male of the group was dressed in a black leather bodysuit with a purple star-studded mantle and a glass dome around his head and the last hero was a brown bat-mutant with goggles, a black leotard and fur over most of her body.

"He seems fine to me. Tired, irritated, rather be anywhere that isn't here. Same ol' Aizawa," Aizawa fired a glare at the silver haired boy who immediately cowered in fear, "Sorry, sorry, don't expel me!"

"You're not his student anymore, Raahil," the bat-girl reminded him with an amused smirk, causing him to immediately feel foolish.

"It's a… force of habit…" Raahil then noticed Class 1-A begin to approach them, "Here comes the young blood."

"Hmm… not the most useful looking group but we can make do," The blonde heroine mused as the group stopped in front of them, curious about the heroes.

"We'll just have to whip them into shape!"

"These three are going to be joining in to help train you today," Aizawa looked at the three heroes and motioned for them to introduce themselves.

"My name is Azurite," The blonde introduced, "This is Echobat and Paranormal. We just graduated a little while ago so we only just got our official licenses." The whole class turned to Aizawa with mixed feelings.

"I'm sure a few of you have some concerns about being taught by fresh heroes but let me say that these three were the best of their year." Aizawa reassured, causing Paranormal to snicker.

"Aw, he thinks highly of us."

"Keep talking and that'll change real fast," Echobat snarked.

Aizawa then turned to the bus, "Now that introductions are out of the way, we're leaving. Everyone on the bus," The class began to pile on the bus with the heroes watching on but one mask-wearing student just happened to walk up to them first.

"Excuse me," Izuku, almost timidly asked, notebook in hand and stars in his eyes, "Can I have your guys' autographs?" The trio were caught off guard so much that they almost didn't know how to react. A bit too slow for Aizawa's liking.

"Midoriya, G E T. O N. T H E. B U S." The three heroes quickly and nervously shoved the green-haired boy onto the bus before hopping in themselves.

* * *

On the bus to the rescue training ground, Izuku was fanboying like no one could believe as he asked Azurite, Echobat, and Paranormal about... pretty much anything about them like an adorable kid, amusing most of his classmates.

"It's kind of striking how different Midoriya acts around heroes," Mina remarked at the sight of the normal cool-headed boy being replaced by this excitable fan.

"Well, he's always been like this," Tsuyu explained, "He sees heroes, he's almost immediately part of their fan clubs, no matter how new or obscure they are."

"Honestly, it's fun to watch him in the adorably insane way he goes about it," Minoru smiled as he leaned back into his seat with a smile.

"Although, I can't help but feel his actions right now aren't very professional for a class representative," Yaoyorozu commented, earning a snicker from Hagakure.

"Ah, you're just butthurt you didn't win the election."

"I'm not 'butthurt' about anything," she insisted.

"Now girls, you're both beautiful so there's no need to fight," Ochako teased with a giggle. At the back of the bus, Bakugou had mostly drowned out everything else, still thinking about his conversation with Hound Dog while Todoroki was busy burning holes into Ochako with his cold eyes. The rest of the bus just carried on having conversations about the training they were going to have and speculating how it was going to work. As they were doing so, a red, white, and blue blur blazed by the bus.

"Whoa, what was that?!"

"Was that All Might?!"

"Dude, it totally was!"

"Why was he in such a hurry?"

"I thought he was going to meet us there but I guess he was running a little late."

As the bus pulled up to what looked like a giant stadium, the group was alive with anticipation as All Might and a spacesuit-wearing hero stood just outside the doors.

"Oh my god! It's Thirteen! My favorite hero works at U.A. and is gonna teach us!" Ochako gushed at the sight of her idol, endearing herself to most of her classmates.

"She's rescued tons of people from disasters across the world!" Izuku joined in,

"Alright, everyone off the bus. We've got a schedule to keep," Aizawa ordered as he walked off, beckoning his students to follow. As the crowd walked up, All Might began to speak.

"**Greetings everyone! We've been waiting patiently for you!**"

"All Might, don't act like we didn't just see you blow by at Mach 1," Aizawa deadpanned.

"**Well, I would have been here sooner but I was in a meeting with the principal and… well, he sure likes to talk! HAHAHAHA!**" Aizawa could only facepalm at the antics of his principal.

"In any case, I'd like to show you all inside!" Thirteen began cheerfully.

"This is going to be awesome!" The class shouted together as they followed the pros inside. The building was split into seven sections, two domes, a lake, two mountainous areas, a ruined city and a large courtyard in the center connecting it all just down the stairs from the entrance.

"Whoa, it's like an amusement park in here!" Kirishima remarked with awe that was matched by his classmates.

"We have a flood, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etcetera!" Thirteen passionately began with pride, "This facility was created by me to prepare you all for different types of disasters! I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! But you can just call it the U.S.J.!"

'_Um… I'm pretty sure that's copyrighted, teach,'_ Izuku stated in his own head as they watched Thirteen enthusiastically point at them on one leg.

"Thirteen, think maybe we could move this along a little?" Aizawa asked, growing a bit impatient with the constant delays.

"Right! I just need to explain something, maybe two, possibly three or four or five-"

"We get it!" the class shouted in exasperation.

"As I'm sure you're aware, I have a powerful quirk called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it to dust in an instant."

"Yeah, you've used it to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" Izuku replied with an impressed smile.

"Correct, but it's a double-edged sword since it can also easily be used to kill." a collective gasp ran through the class at Thirteen's words, "Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous," Ochako's mind suddenly flashed back to the Battle Trial as she watched her quirk be used against her wishes to flatten a building and nearly injure her classmate. "In our society, all quirks are certified and regulated heavily so the dangers are often overlooked. Please, don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be very deadly, even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone. Thanks to Aizawa, you have a solid idea of your quirk's potential and thanks to All Might, you've likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Today, you will carry over those lessons to this class so that you can learn how to use those quirks to save people's lives. You won't be attacking enemies or each other, only using them to help others. After all, that's what being a hero is all about: ensuring the safety of others. Thank you for listening." Thirteen finished with a bow, earning a round of applause from their students.

"**All right, time to explain how we'll be-hmm?**" All Might looked up as the lights around the building began to flicker before finally shutting off, catching everyone's attention.

"Look there!" Azurite shouted as she pointed towards the center fountain. The stream was being interrupted intermittently before a swirling black hole began to open up through space. The black mass quickly spread out and enveloped half the courtyard, allowing person after person to walk out, led by a hand-covered man in front.

"Stay together and don't move!" Aizawa ordered forcefully, "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"Wait, has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people," Kirishima asked as he stepped forward to get a better look.

"Stay back!" Aizawa shouted as Ochako saw him put on gold goggles that he had hidden beneath his scarf, "This is real. Those are villains." Collective gasps ran through the class as they watched Aizawa, All Might, Azurite, Echobat, and Paranormal all began to make their way to the courtyard.

"It's time to leave now students," Thirteen Instructed, "Midoriya, I need you to-" Thirteen stopped themselves as they finally noticed Midoriya, who even with the mask on, they could still see it.

The wide, red eyes that stared down the hand villain who was flanked by four brain-exposed monsters and one black mist man in a dress shirt and vest.

***THUMP THUMP***

* * *

**A/N: Here we go... well, kinda. You still have to wait two weeks before we let Hell loose.**

**So, I brought in a few OCs though it should be plain to see that they're just here because both sides are bringing in more muscle to the fight this time. And yes, Echobat is a play on words for Acrobat. A poor one but one nonetheless. "Cause and Effect" is such a wonderful thing when you want to turn a place into a warzone. I also hope that it's clear why the U.A. staff is underprepared despite knowing about Shigaraki and All For One and all that jazz. Mostly because, as a writer, I need to make sure everyone understands why something is happening a certain way without one side looking like they have no idea what they are doing.**

**Also, one, two… three more things I want to mention: I want to do more scenes with Izuku bonding with his classmates where it's Izuku and a small handful of them. I also intend for Bakugou to be reformed but in order for that to happen, we've got to break down his world view before we can have him build a new one. Finally, and this is a minor point, Thirteen in this story is Non-binary for their gender with a female sex.**

**Projecticeman: Well, this is MHA Japan, a country that treats criminals of any sort like a blight on the world whether you're a tyrannical underworld boss or a petty thief. So, you know, not that far off from actual Japan, really. Though to be fair,**_** that's just the warm up...**_** We've got a long road ahead of us and it only gets worse before it gets better.**

**AlienGhostWizard14: Well, you've got two more weeks since I'm hoping to have the whole thing in one big ass chapter. Though, I'm glad the hype train is moving at a nice speed.**

**Dayln Hughes: Completely fair point and also, completely correct. Yeah, she isn't supposed to be a great pick right now and **_**especially**_** a few chapters from now though I can only say that because I know what happens.**

**Thank you to all of you for helping me make this my most popular story that I've written on this site. It means the world to me when I see about 20x the number of people willing to say: "I like this a lot!" then I could have ever imagined!**

**Next chapter: The moment we've been waiting for: The Mook Horror Show. And if you don't know what that is, type it into TV Tropes.**

**Until next time, Sal out!**


	15. Ch 15: Nohwhere to Run

**Ch. 15: Nohwhere to Run**

"What? _Real_ villains?" Kirishima asked, deeply concerned, as he counted the number of villains in his head, though he quickly lost count in the twenties, "How can so many of them get into a U.A. facility this secure?"

"Yeah, Thirteen, why haven't the alarms gone off?" Yaoyorozu asked, though Thirteen didn't turn to look at her, too busy with Izuku.

"I'm not sure, I'm afraid." Even though she had to admit, she hadn't noticed the lack of an alarm.

"Is the entire campus under attack or is it just here?" Todoroki asked in the calmest tone he could. "Either way, one of them must have a quirk that's jamming the sensors. They chose this isolated building at a time when a class was being taught. They're fools for trespassing here but it's clear they've thought all this out. They must have a concrete objective… but what is it?" All of the other students began to worry before looking at the shaking Izuku.

"Kaminari, see if you can use your quirk to contact the campus," Thirteen ordered as they tried to figure out how to calm down Izuku.

"I'll try, at least," Kaminari reached up to his communicator earpiece and tried to contact someone for help.

"What's wrong with Midoriya?" Iida asked as he walked forward, only to be stopped by Thirteen's hand telling him to stay put.

As Aizawa and co. reached the bottom of the stairs, he could make out a bad feeling crawling up his back. He ignored it, thinking it was just the villains in front of him and took stock of the situation. There were around twenty or so villains in the plaza as well as the suspiciously familiar hand villain and the mist villain who were flanked by four monsters. One had wings, one had six arms, another of them had to be the size of All Might himself while the last was no bigger than their leader.

"Perplexing," the mist villain began, "According to the schedule we retrieved, All Might and Thirteen were the only heroes supposed to be here, yet I count six heroes."

"**So, it was you who used the press to sneak in,**" All Might stood at the front of the team, becoming the focus of most of the villains in the plaza. Aizawa went pale for a quick second as it finally clicked and he realized why the hand villain seemed familiar.

It was Midoriya's description of Shigaraki. Aizawa quickly snapped to look back at the students to see the boy shaking, as if trying to control himself but failing.

"So, they brought a few NPCs after our break in, huh?" Shigaraki commented, "That's fine, we brought some more party members ourselves."

"Hey, think you can just look away from us!?" A villain with a knife shouted as he lunged at Aizawa, before Paranormal telekinetically grabbed him out of the air and plowed him into the floor. He quickly grabbed the knife out of the villain's hand and armed himself with it.

"Wait your turn, asshole." Paranormal dryly ordered, "What's up, Eraser?" Aizawa quickly activated his quirk on Midoriya, causing the boy to drop to his knees and start to breathe heavily as he clutched his chest.

"The villains are in front of us, sir," Echobat pointed out.

"Then why don't_ you_ focus on them, you two," Azurite suggested, irritated but trusting of her former teacher's judgement.

"Izu, are you okay?" Ochako asked as she and Tsu ran to his side. Minoru walked over and looked into Izuku's eyes, seeing their normal green.

'_He was shaking a bit ago and now he's suddenly out of breath like he's having a heart attack? What's going on?'_

'_So, it was activated by itself because of Shigaraki's presence. That's annoying,' _Aizawa grabbed his phone but it was telling him no service. He's not picking up Midoriya's anklet.

"Don't bother, _Eraserhead,_" Kurogiri smugly stated, not knowing _why_ Aizawa was looking at his phone, "You won't get through. You must have noticed your alarms haven't gone off."

'_Maybe. But that doesn't mean that an alarm isn't going off somewhere else."_

"All Might, you three," Aizawa turned back to face the villains, "Ten minutes." All Might smiled as he realized what Aizawa was referring to.

"**Understood!**

"Ten minutes to what, though?"

"Till we win." The five heroes started blowing through the cannon fodder with little difficulty. Eraserhead was careful to let All Might do most of the work. He noticed that the leaders were standing around watching him and the others but were not too concerned with watching All Might himself, as if they already knew how they were going to beat him. "Be careful how much you use your quirks. The leaders are watching us."

"Ugh, what a pain." Paranormal complained as he threw the knife from earlier just past a guy's ear to distract him before Azurite threw him into another villain before Echobat landed hard onto the pile, knocking them out.

"They seemed to be holding their own. We're gonna run out of bodies at this rate."

"Let's fix that. Nomus, kill the heroes and All Might." The four monsters roared loudly, instantly bringing everyone in the building to a halt before they launched themselves towards the heroes. The smallest Nomu proved to be that fastest as it was barely a second before it rocketed into Azurite. The largest of them all ran towards All Might, the wing Nomu attacked Echobat out of the air and the multi-armed Nomu tried to strike Aizawa but was quickly repelled by Paranormal throwing him across the building with his quirk, stopping it for all of five seconds.

"Should we be concerned that he's fine from that?" Paranormal asked as the Nomu began jumping back as if nothing happened.

"Yeah, probably." A sudden wind blew past them as All Might's fist collided with the muscle Nomu only for it to completely shrug it off before throwing a punch of his own. "All Might didn't even hurt him?" Aizawa quickly erased Muscle-Nomu's quirk but all it did was allow All Might to knock him back. It still got back up and actually managed to punch back, knocking All Might back several meters despite him blocking the blow. "And it's _still_ that strong? This isn't good."

"Oh, really?! I hadn't noticed!" Paranormal quipped as he repeatedly tried to slam the Multi-Nomu into the ground but got nowhere with it. It's as if pain was a completely foreign concept to the beasts. Aizawa took stock of how the rest were doing, trying his best to erase the Nomus' quirks as he went.

Azurite was glowing blue as the air around her started to become cold, slowing down the Speed-Nomu enough for her to dodge the incoming attacks and counter with her own where she could. "Come on, that all you've got?" The nomu screeched as it launched needles out of its hands, only to stop dead before reaching Azurite and falling to the floor at her feet extremely slowly. "Oh no, you've got _way_ more..."

Echobat screamed out as the Wing-Nomu tried to bite her, only to get itself clawed in the face. "Get off me, you disgusting bastard!" She kicked the nomu as hard as she could, only for it to look at her as it's cuts healed before her eyes. "Oh… boy…"

"And it just keeps getting worse," Aizawa mentioned as his eyes forced him to blink.

"What now?"

"They have multiple quirks. They even seem to share some common ones like impact resistance."

"That's right!" Shigaraki boasted sadistically, "These bio-engineered anti-symbols of peace were specially created to destroy All Might and any other pro heroes that tried to get in our way. Shock Absorption, Super Regeneration, Needle Storm, Six-Arms, Wing, and a few more you'll get to enjoy before they kill you all! Even All Might at his strongest couldn't hope to stop them." As Shigaraki shrugged at the futility of the heroes' actions, Aizawa noticed that Kurogiri had disappeared. As Paranormal began to pant from the exertion of holding the Multi-Nomu, Aizawa couldn't even begin to guess how much worse it was going to get.

* * *

Izuku opened his eyes to see All Might and the other heroes trade blows with the Nomus, feeling like his whole body was burning up.

***Thump Thump***

His heart beat loudly into his ears, drowning out all other sounds leaving him with nothing but mumbling and the static that filled his head again.

"**KiLl ThEm,**" It commanded, the voice in the static growled again.

***THump THump***

'_No… I won't do it... '_

***THUmp THUmp***

"**ThEy ArE hErE tOo KiLl YoU. tHeY aRe HeRe ToO kIlL YoUr TeAcHeRs. ThEy ArE hErE tO kIlL yOuR fRiEnDs. ShIgArAkI. kUrOgIrI. aLl FoR oNe. NoMuS. aLl MuSt DiE."**

***THUMp THUMp***

"Stay back from him!" Thirteen warned. Minoru caught a glimpse of Izuku's eyes and saw the green start to revert back to red.

"Oh, no…" Thirteen immediately grabbed Izuku and pulled him over their shoulder to carry the boy as he continued to clutch his chest. "Alright, students, we need to leave!" They pointed to the door leading out. Before the students could even get halfway, Kurogiri appeared in front of them, blocking off their only exit.

"There is no escape for you." Kurogiri's deep voice informed them. "Greetings to you all. We are the League of Villains. I know that it's impolite but we've decided to visit this haven of justice to say hello." Thirteen tried to put themselves between Kurogiri and their students, "And isn't this a fitting place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath?" Ochako, Tsuyu and Minoru's eyes widened as they realized why the villains were here… as well as realized _who _they were. It was all for All Might. "Now it's time for me to fulfill my role here..." Thirteen readied their quirk but before they could activate it...

"RAAARG!" Kirishima and Bakugou launched themselves at Kurogiri, causing a massive explosion to engulf the mist villain.

"Did you think we're just going to let you tear this place to shreds?" Kirishima shouted with a smile but it quickly disappeared as the smoke cleared.

"You certainly live up to your school's reputation," Bakugou and Kirishima both reacted with shock that their attacks did nothing, "But you should be more careful children. Otherwise, someone might get hurt."

"You two, get out of the way!" Thirteen ordered, causing the two to look back at them. The momentary distraction allowed Kurogiri to quickly surround them in the black mist.

"I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades, and your deaths!" Kurogiri quickly surrounded them in a massive dome of darkness with only a few students able to escape, one of which was Iida who could only grab Sato and Mina on the way out.

"What's going on?!" Iida shouted as he stared at the dome, scared for what was happening to his classmates.

* * *

Izuku, Bakugou and Kirishima landed hard in the rubble of several ruined buildings. Kirishima quickly picked himself up and surveyed his surroundings, quickly picking up on the cavalcade of villains that surrounded them and Izuku was farther away from the two.

"Shit, they're everywhere!"

"So what?!" Bakugou shouted as he got to his feet, hands sparking while staring down his foes, "They picked the wrong class to mess with! Come on, you pieces of shit!"

"Ha, this one thinks he's a hero or something!" One villain laughed.

"Let's hope he's more interesting than that brat having a heart attack there." Another one joked as Izuku was still laid on the ground.

"I might as well make his misery short." A third one pulled out a knife and stood over Izuku's body.

"**YoU lEt ThIs HaPpEn By HoLdInG bAcK. aRe YoU wIlLiNg To LeT tHeM wIn? ThOsE tHaT rUiNeD yOuR lIfE. tHoSe WhO sTole EvErYtHiNg FrOm YoU.**"

'_I don't want to hurt my friends.'_

"**ThEy DoN't DeSeRvE dEaTh. ThIs Is TrUe. ThEy WiLl Be SpArEd. BuT, oNlY iF yUo StOp ThEm. ThOsE wHo MuSt DiE.**"

The villain reeled back to drive it into Izuku's chest.

'_...No killing. Just stop them so they can be arrested."_

"**Then we have an accord.**" The voice was now loud and clear, no longer shrouded in static as Izuku suddenly felt the burning in his body turn to boiling him alive.

***THUMP THUMP***

Izuku's eyes shot open as he grabbed the knife blade and crushed it between his fingers, cutting his hand open but it didn't stop him as he drove a fist into the villain, launching him off the ground, into the air and over a mound of debris, out cold. Izuku slowly staggered to his feet, radiating a large aura of crimson and large bolts of red lightning shot off of him periodically. The villains all took a step back when they could as they watched the dripping and mangled hand slowly regenerate. Bakugou could feel a tinge of anger and shock go down his spine as he thought back to the indoor battle and realized that Izuku was _still_ hiding more power.

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**" Izuku screamed out, causing everyone to go perfectly still with fear as the boy launched himself into the nearest villain, grabbed her by the leg and smashed other villains with her body before throwing her into a crowd to knock them over like bowling pins. A few villains with long-range quirks opened fire on Izuku who merely turned to look at them, more pissed off than hurt.

"It didn't even scratch hi-ack!" Before anyone could react, Izuku was already on them, grabbing one by the neck and driving him into the ground with a vicious chokeslam, causing a shockwave of dust to shroud him. He kicked another in the gut so hard he flew backwards out of the dust cloud and took three more with him as he crashed into them.

"Wha-What the hell is he?!" A villain asked as everyone started to back up at the monster in front of them as the dust settled and they could see the furious red eyes staring them down.

"Uh… Dude…" Kirishima began as he watched Izuku turn the villains into ragdolls, "Wasn't his quirk warping?"

"One of them," Bakugou responded as he grinded his teeth.

"What do you mean 'one of them'?!" Bakugou couldn't respond as Izuku roared again and charged the shaking villains. Bakugou watched on, furious to see just how much Deku was holding back but quickly swallowed it. There were bigger fish to fry. Bakugou stood up and started walking away from the scene.

"Dude, where are you going?"

"These trash bags aren't worth my time if Deku is beating them this easily. I'm going after the leaders," Bakugou explained without stopping.

"Isn't that what got us into this in the first place? It was our fault we got warped away by that mist guy." Bakugou stopped and turned his head at Kirishima with an annoyed glare.

"You want to stay here with Deku, be my guest. Just don't let him see you when he runs out of cannon fodder. He might attack you next." Kirishima gulped a little after a villain flew just past him as if to emphasize his point.

"Okay, but what about our classmates?"

"If the villains are all this weak, our classmates will be fine, especially if Deku goes and helps since he seems to only care about the villains. We need to focus on getting that warp guy so they can't escape and we can turn the tables on these bastards."

"It's weird hearing you be this calm and rational. Usually you're so angry at everything," Bakugou took a deep breath and exhaled to pick his words carefully.

"Tsk, who asked you, Shitty Hair?" Kirishima smirked a little as the two exited the Collapse Zone.

"And from the sounds of it, you actually believe in our classmat-."

"One more word and I'm feeding you to Deku," Bakugou warned with a growl, causing Kirishima to shut his mouth.

* * *

**One minute ago...**

"AHHHHH!" ***splash*** Ochako screamed as she fell out of the portal into the pool of water that made up the Flood Zone. After the less than soft landing from falling a few dozen meters headfirst, she frantically tried to reorient herself and swim to the surface. _'Okay, I landed in the pool I saw earlier so that mist guy had a warp quirk. A black mist…It can't be anyone other than Kurogiri which would make that hand villain Shigaraki. I need to find my classmates and Izu-'_ Before she could reach the surface, a villain with the head of a hammerhead shark started swimming for her at breakneck speeds, jaws wide open to eat her. Ochako readied One For All to fight him off.

***SLAM***

"Hey, Ocha!" Tsuyu came flying in and cracked the shark across the head with both feet while holding a motionless purple and yellow ball of a boy. She quickly wrapped her tongue around Ochako's waist and used the villain to launch off of, towards the surface, dragging her friend with her. "Bye, loser!" After reaching the surface, Tsuyu lifted Ochako onto the boat in the middle of the lake and set her down gently.

"Ack! My mouth tastes like pool water… and it's in my eyes..." Minoru complained before wrapping his arms around her neck, "Thanks, Tsu. I almost feel bad about calling you a pain in the ass behind your back."

"Ribbit?!" Tsu wrapped her tongue around Minoru, tight enough that it could be used for the Heimlich maneuver and threw him down onto the deck of the boat as hard as she could manage onto his face.

***CRASH* **"Ahahahow!"

"Minoru, are you okay?!" Ochako asked as she picked herself up, completely unaware of what happened.

"What'd I do that time…?" He groaned into the floor before starting to push himself up and rubbed his now bleeding nose.

"The only one here that's a pain in the ass is you, Mino," Tsu scolded as she climbed up onto the boat, sounding mad without actually looking like it, "And don't hug me. You don't have the right."

"Well, it's not like you proved me wrong just now," Minoru countered as he wiped the water from his eyes.

"Guys, please stop fighting!" Ochako shouted, "This is hardly the time for you two to be having another argument."

"Sorry, Ochako," The two said in unison while looking at the ground in shame.

"Okay, now, we need to figure out what we're going to do," Ochako began, "That villain said that this was a 'fitting place for All Might to take his last breath', right?"

"So, they're here to kill him? That would make them the people Izu sensed."

"Okay, but how are they going to kill him?" Minoru asked, "All Might could punch the ground once and level this building. Not to mention that he's still at full strength for today so it's not like he's running on fumes here."

"But these are also the people connected to All Might's nemesis so they've had five, six years to plan this. That means they've probably found a way to do it. Like those giant brain monsters we saw fighting the pros. I couldn't hear what was going on but by the look on their faces it wasn't anything good." Minoru let Tsu's words wash over him and immediately started to panic.

"ARE YOU SAYING WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE?!"

"You bastards!" The three quickly turned to the water to see a dozen villains with aquatic quirks all swimming for the boat, driving Minoru into further panic.

"MORE BAD GUYS!"

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**"

Everyone in the Flood Zone all stopped dead and turned towards the roar of fury that resounded throughout the U.S.J.

"What was _that_?" Tsu asked as she looked out towards the center, looking to see if it was one of the Nomus, "It wasn't one of theirs by the looks of it so…"

'_Izu… was that you?'_ Ochako grabbed Tsu's shoulder and turned her towards her, "We need to find Izu, now!"

"Wait, you think that roar was him?"

"I can't be sure, but I've been having a bad feeling ever since he started clutching his chest at the entrance. He might have lost control of Rage Shroud." Tsu gasped quietly before looking at Minoru, crumpled into the fetal position as he rocked back and forth.

"We're gonna die, we gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gon-***slap*** ow! Tsu, what was that for?!"

"You think that, maybe, being a hero isn't the right job for you?" Tsu deadpanned after retracting her tongue from slapping Minoru.

"Honestly… yeah, I'm thinking I've made a horrible mistake coming here…" Minoru shivered, as he wiped away some tears in his eyes, "And cut me some slack. I just got here this week and now we're fighting real villains that want to kill us, rape us, eat us, or all three at the same time!"

"Okay, now you're just being gross," Ochako got down onto her knee and placed a comforting hand on Minoru's shoulder.

"Minoru, I know you're scared," she told him in a soothing, reassuring voice, "I'm terrified right now. I don't know where my classmates are or even if they're okay. But, if we don't do something, we're going to die here. We're the only ones who can save ourselves right now. Izu is probably using Rage Shroud and by the sound of it, he's lost control. He needs our help." Minoru looked down at his feet.

'_She's right… My buddy needs us. Even if I'm shitting myself here, I've got to make it up to him for all the times he's helped me."_ Taking a deep breath, Minoru steadied himself and nodded.

"Minoru, you got any ideas?" She asked with a smile.

Minoru looked out to the lake and saw that the villains had regrouped but were still just chilling in the water doing nothing but staring at them in a circle around the boat.

'_Okay, Zuku always told me no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. What mistakes have they made?'_ Minoru looked to Tsu and suddenly realized something. "Why is Tsu here, exactly?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsu inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"What I mean is, why drop someone who's at her best in the water into a place that's mostly covered in water?" Tsu's face softened as she realized what he was saying.

"Now that you mention it, if they knew I was a frog, they would have dropped me into the Fire Zone over there."

"That means they don't know any of our quirks then?"

"Exactly. They separated us into small groups since they didn't know what we could do and then they'll try and overpower us through sheer force of numbers. We have the advantage then since they probably think we could be super strong which is why they're just waiting in the water. But it also means that we're gonna have to be careful since they aren't taking any chances." While Minoru was explaining his observations, a giant water hand came down and sliced through the boat, cutting it in half.

"I'm getting bored waiting! Come out here and die!" the villain shouted.

"Minoru, do you have any ideas?!" Ochako asked again, more urgent than before.

"Uh… not any good ones."

"Will any of them _work_?" Minoru gulped as he prepared to explain it.

"Yeah, but… we need you to break a finger."

"What's taking so long for a ship to sink?" one of the villains yelled.

"Screw you! I'd like to see you do better! They'll be in the water in about thirty seconds."

"Coming at ya, bitches!" All the villains suddenly looked up to see Ochako with Minoru tied to her back with Tsu's tongue as she carried them across the sky, "Enjoy!"

"MERCURY SMASH!" Ochako cried out as she finger-flicked the water with 100% of One For All, causing a massive funnel of air to blast through the water and causing a massive whirlpool. Minoru followed up by dropping as many grapes into the water as possible, causing them to stick to the villains as they were all pulled together by the displaced water. Before long, a massive plum of water shot out of the hole, launching the boat and a big, purple ball of bad guys into the air. Ochako smiled with gritted teeth as she held her broken middle finger.

"Apply a strong force to the water and it'll be displaced and come rushing back in. How's that for some physics?!" Minoru shouted with glee at his plan's success.

"Yeah, it was a great plan, Mino. I'm actually impressed for once."

"We rounded up the villains here. Now, let's go find Izu!" Ochako ordered with a pained look on her face as she looked to the entrance,"Shoji's at the entrance so he'd be able to find him."

"Roger that, Miss 'Mercury Smash'," Tsu smirked at the nickname.

"Um, can you forget I said that?" Ochako asked sheepishly, embarrassed by her heat-of-the-moment battle cry.

"Not happening, 'Next Symbol of Peace'. Since there's another zone on the way, we should head in and see if any of our classmates are in there."

"You want to fight more villains?!" Minoru cried to Tsu.

"We don't know where Izu is but he might be in there. If so, we should check. You can go talk to Shoji alone if you want."

"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME ALONE! I COULD GET AMBUSHED AND KILLED BY MYSELF!"

"Sounds like you're coming with us then," Ochako replied with a tired smile.

* * *

**Three minutes prior...**

At the entrance, as the black dome finally dissipated due to Thirteen sucking it up, she quickly turned to take a quick count of the students she still had while Kurogiri worked to recollect himself. Shoji, Iida, Ashido, Sero, and Sato. Only five of their twenty students and Midoriya was one of the ones missing. Considering the state he was in, Thirteen began to sweat under their suit, nervous for what could happen. Aizawa had told them about the anklet used to monitor Midoriya's location which meant that whatever was jamming the alarm was also jamming it from reaching the police.

Shoji created as many eyes and ears as he could to survey the entire building.

"Shoji, got them? Anything?"

"Our classmates have been scattered all over the facility but all of us are still here." Shoji replied quickly, allowing his classmates to take a breath of relief.

"So, how do we deal with this guy? We can't hit him and he can teleport stuff!"

'_I can't be sure that help is already on the way so we need to be sure…'_

"Iida, I'll cut you a path for you to escape. Run to the school and tell them what's happening." Iida gasped with surprise at the order, "With no alarms or phones, we're completely isolated. The villain responsible is probably hiding somewhere after being warped in. We can't waste time trying to find him so it would be faster to have you run and get help."

"Yes, I understand that but to leave you all here would be disgraceful."

"Get running, Iida." Sato commanded, "They need to keep us in here with all the alarms outside, right?"

"That means if we can get you out, they won't follow." Sero added, "Blow this dude away with those engine legs."

"Use your quirk to save others! Be a real hero!" "Thirteen instructed. Iida listened to his teacher's words and steeled himself to take off.

"Even if that's your only option, do you think it wise to strategize in front of your enemy?!" Kurogiri launched out another attack to swarm them from all sides.

"Even if you know our plan, it won't make a difference when I'm done with you!" Thirteen activated Black Hole again to suck Kurogiri into their finger. Kurogiri just laughed as he was being sucked up.

"Ah, Black Hole. A powerful quirk that sucks up matter and turns it to dust. It would be a real threat if it weren't for the fact that you're a rescue hero, Thirteen. Battle doesn't come naturally to you so you lack the experience to be a real threat." As Thirteen was thinking about what he was saying, they suddenly felt a massive pull behind them. Kurogiri, as he was monologuing, had opened a warp gate behind Thirteen. Thirteen felt their costume be ripped off of them, along with most of the skin on their back.

"I'm sorry… he got me…" Thirteen quietly let out as they crumpled to the ground.

"Thirteen, no!" Ashido cried out in fear.

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**"

As Kurogiri turned Thirteen's quirk against her, a massive roar caught his attention, shocking Kurogiri. More from how familiar it was than where it was coming from or who was letting it out.

"That couldn't be…"

"Iida, go!" Sato demanded, "Now, while he's distracted!" Iida opened his mouth to protest but his teacher's words to him rang in his ears.

"_Use your quirk to save others! Be a real hero!" _

'_Right… it's what he would do if it were him. I can worry about the roar later!'_ Iida activated his engines and took off running past Kurogiri while the villain wasn't paying attention, though he soon realized what was happening.

"A sheep trying to run from the wolves? Can't have that." Kurogiri noted, amused at the attempt before opening up a gate in front of Iida, "If you escape, more heroes will arrive and make it harder for us to kill All Might."

'_This responsibility was entrusted to me…'_ Iida thought as his classmates' faces appeared in his head, _'I must keep them safe!'_

Shoji jumped out from the side and wrapped the gate in his arms. "Run! I've got him!" Iida nodded as he pressed on for the door.

'_The door shouldn't be locked since Thirteen is in charge but will I be able to open it in time?'_.

"Impertinent child! There's no way I'm letting you escape!" Kurogiri stretched his mist towards Iida to swallow him up, allowing Ashido to see a black metal casing inside the mist, giving her an idea. "BEGON-ARGH?!" Before he could reach Iida, he could feel a searing pain run through him. He turned back to see his casing was coated in Ashido's acid, causing it to start melting. "You brats! How dare you!?" Kurogiri saw Iida reach the door and began stretching again.

"I don't think so!" Sero shouted as he shot a piece of tape at a part of the casing not covered in acid. Once on, Sato grabbed the tape and spun Kurogiri around with the tape as a tether.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Sato roared as he launched Kurogiri as far away from the door as he could, sending him flying back towards the plaza. Iida squeezed his way through the door and started running, towards the school, though he only ran for a minute before running into a whole bus of teachers and pros, easily reaching twenty in total as they were led by the principal.

"Principle Nezu? What are-?" Iida was confused. How could they know what was happening already?

"I should be the one asking the questions. What's going on?"

"Villains! Inside the U.S.J.!" Iida quickly began to explain what was happening as he boarded the bus to explain in detail what was happening. Though all it did was make Nezu more concerned, especially after hearing about the roar.

'_We're still two minutes away… It'll be close.'_

* * *

**Two minutes prior…**

"Ahhh!" Kaminari cried as he tucked under an attack from a large villain, "This is terrifying! My whole life flashed before my eyes. I'm seeing the Grim Reaper dammit!" As he was screaming in fear, Jirou and Yaoyorozu were busy fending off other villains with a sword and staff respectively.

"Will you bring it down a couple notches and help? We ain't gonna escape with you running around being a crybaby!"

"Then give me a weapon too!"

"You're the one with the lightning. Just zap them so we can run," Jirou suggested, irritated by her classmate's lack of help.

"Were you not paying attention? I can coat my body in electricity but if I shoot it out, it'll just go everywhere! What, you want shock treatmen-?"

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**"

Much like everywhere else, everyone in the Mountain Zone stopped dead in their tracks. Jirou quickly shook it off before the villains could, leaving an opening for her to kick Kaminari into the nearest villain.

"Get them, human stun gun!"

"What, seriously?!" Kaminari yelled as he crashed into the large villain that was fighting him and let out a large current, shocking the villain senseless. "Whoa, this works! I'm so powerful! Just leave it to me!"

'_A second ago, he was a cowering idiot. Now he thinks he's awesome? Pick a mood already.'_

"Let's see you shock this rock, kid!" A villain with a giant boulder attracted to their hand shouted before Jirou destroyed it with a massive sound wave shot out from her boot's speaker. His hand, however, kept flying and smacked Kaminari in the face, getting him a nice juicy shock as well. Yaoyorozu threw a net to catch another villain before he could stab Kaminari, letting him get electrocuted too.

"We're lucky that worked in our favor!"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't have time to ask to save our butts-!" Before she could finish, a red and green blur dove in from above, crashing into the crowd of villains with a massive cloud of dust shrouding him.

"What was that?!" Kaminari asked as the three regrouped together. The villains were all too busy watching the sudden intruder.

"Backup from one of our classmates?" Yaoyorozu theorized. As the dust settled, the three could finally see who came. Dragged along in his hand was another villain, completely limp and showing no signs of movement before being dropped unceremoniously onto the dirt. The green figure stood up, red aura sparking. "That's Midoriya's costume but…" A villain with a blade ran up and tried to backstab Izuku but just as he was about to, the boy vanished from sight.

"Where'd he-Urgh!" Izuku, moving too fast for anyone to follow, drove his boot into the back of the man's skull, driving him into the dirt with a horrific curb stomp.

"Look out! He's fas-taghck!" Driving an elbow into the nearest villain, Izuku dropped another foe before grabbing him and throwing him into another and pounding him with his comrade till he stayed down. And then hit him again for good measure before moving onto the rest.

"What… What the hell's going on?" Jirou asked, though she received no answer. The three watched as a few villains attempted long-range, only to do little more than destroy a part of Izuku's costume, with the mask covering his face doing little more than cracking. Any wounds they did merely healed in seconds.

"I thought Midoriya said his quirk was warping but why is he glowing?!" Kaminari shouted before Izuku's shadow rose from the ground, shocking everyone as it took on the appearance of the boy and immediately rushed down one half of the villains while the real one took the other, "And what's with that shadow?! Does he have something like Tokoyami?!" Any villain that wasn't immediately being beaten to a pulp, attempted to flee in terror at the monster before them, to no avail.

"It seems that he hasn't been completely honest with us from the start." Yaoyorozu, the only one still able to maintain even a facade of composure as she watched Izuku mercilessly destroy any villain in his path. _'Is this really Midoriya? This barbaric monster that's like something out of a horror novel?'_ A villain popped out of the ground and wrapped his arms around the real Izuku and let out a massive electrical burst into the boy, stunning him briefly but he quickly recovered with the assist from his shadow delivering a massive blow to the back of the villain's head. After being released, Izuku gave a finishing kick and sent the bad guy flying down the mountain. Yaoyorozu and co just stared in awe as Izuku, completely by himself, wiped out every villain around them like he was swatting away flies. His shadow returned to his master's side before fading back into the ground. Izuku began looking around at the various villains, as if looking for something. He then turned his attention to his classmates.

"Oh god!" Kaminari shouted as Izuku started the slow walk towards them. Jirou and Yaoyorozu both readied their weapons, conflicted about how they were feeling. Midoriya was their classmate but after watching him destroy villains like they were nothing, were they next?

"Midoriya, we're your classmates!"

"Yeah, don't fight us!" Jirou added, though their composure broke at the same time as Izuku's cracked mask. There were no more doubts as they saw Izuku's face, twisted into a monstrous visage. Burning red eyes locked into a permanent glare, teeth bared as what sounded like a beastly growl escaped it. His right hand rose towards Jirou as he approached, with Kaminari immediately jumping in front to stop him with an electrical shock.

"You won't hurt my friends!" Kaminari shouted as he let out as much power as he could manage, though it only seemed to irritate the beast he was latched onto. Izuku grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up and set him back down to the side before continuing. Yaoyorozu took a swing with her metal staff, which broke from Izuku backhanding it out of his face. Jirou finally slashed at him in fear, only for Izuku to catch it with nothing but his bare hand.

'_We… we didn't even faze him…' _Kaminari thought as his quirk deactivated from the terror.

'_Is this the end…?'_ Yaoyorozu tried desperately to think of something but her mind went blank. She couldn't remember any molecular structures to make anything complex.

'_I'm… I'm not ready to die,' _Jirou closed her eyes and braced herself for her impending doom.

But it never came.

"**I'm borrowing this…**" A voice growled that sounded like twenty people all talking in unison came from Izuku. She felt a hand gently touch her's as the sword was gingerly taken from her. Izuku then turned and began walking away, only stopping to make another shadow, which immediately took off for another zone while he looked towards the plaza.

"**Shigaraki… I'll make you pay for what you've done… And when I'm done with you… I'm coming for you next, All For One…**" As the three watched Izuku leave, unable to process what happened, all three felt their legs give out as they dropped to the floor. Once her brain started working again, Yaoyorozu looked around and noticed that all of the weapons the villains had brought were broken, likely by Izuku destroying them himself. But that just raised more questions.

"Who's Shigaraki?" Kaminari asked, still shaking. He looked at Jirou, who seemed completely out of it as if she just finished staring Death himself in the face, "Who's All For One? What the hell just happened!?"

Yaoyorozu didn't immediately answer, taking a moment to compose herself.

"It doesn't matter right now. We need to find our classmates and head to the exit. Midoriya seems to be in enough control of himself that he could tell we weren't his enemies even after we attacked him. Thirteen was concerned about Midoriya's wellbeing before so it's likely the teachers know about Midoriya's condition. We'll just have to have faith in them for now."

"Okay… but if he comes back to finish the job, I'm blaming you."

"Hmph, I guess that's fair," Yaoyorozu turned to Jirou, who still hadn't moved, "We should get Jirou to the entrance before we do anything else. She seems to be in shock."

"Right, I'll take the left," Yaoyorozu nodded as she and Kaminari lifted her up and draped her arms around their shoulders to carry her. _'I don't think she's the only one… It's taking everything I have not to drop to my knees here…'_ Kaminari thought back to being in Izuku's presence before. _'That overwhelming power mixed with that look of pure rage… what the hell happened to him?'_

* * *

Ochako and co. ran into the Downpour Zone, desperate for any sign of Izuku but all they could see was a dark fake city and enough rain that all three were drenched even worse then when they were swimming in the Flood Zone.

"Anyone see 160 centimetres of screaming lunatic with red hair?" Minoru asked as he tried to shield his eyes from the wind and rain.

"I'm not seeing him in here." Tsuyu replied, having no such difficulty with the weather but the darkness was proving an issue. Ochako suddenly heard a loud slam a street over.

"I think I hear fighting nearby. Come on!"

"Why do we always have to run towards the danger?!"

"Because that's what heroes do, Mino!" As the three arrived, Tokoyami and Koda were busy with three more villains who seemed too preoccupied with their current prey to notice them. Ochako and Tsu quickly jumped two of them, slamming them to the ground. Minoru, attached to Tsu's back, threw two grapes into the third villain's eyes, allowing Tokoyami to swat him into the nearest wall with Dark Shadow.

"You three certainly know how to make an entrance." Tokoyami praised as Koda sighed with relief at the reinforcements.

"You two okay?" Ochako asked with concern as she got off her unconscious opponent.

"We're fine. Just a little shaken up. I can't believe villains could get into U.A. of all places."

"Well, they did and now we need to get them out." Tsu replied bluntly, "Have you guys seen Izu anywhere?"

"Midoriya? No, he wasn't with us. By the way, is he related to that roar from earlier?"

"We don't know," Minoru lied, "But we're concerned still since it wasn't one of the monster the villains brought."

"That is concerning..." Tokoyami agreed with a solemn look on his face, "We should leave immediately and find him and the rest of our classmates."

"Shoji should still be at the entrance. Let's head there!" Ochako proposed, everyone nodding in agreement as they ran as fast as they could out of the Downpour Zone. _'Please be safe, Izu...'_

* * *

Todoroki stood in the middle of the Landslide Zone, more annoyed than anything else as the would-be villains around him stood frozen in his ice, completely unable to harm him or anyone else.

"This is pathetic. You're adults and yet you've haven't put up anything vaguely resembling a real fight." A villain tried to surprise attack him but was quickly frozen just as Todoroki dodged his spear attack. _'They insult us by sending these low-level thugs to kill us. That must mean that the only real threats are those brain monsters and the leaders since they stayed to fight the pros head on. I need more intel to work with.'_ Before Todoroki could begin questioning one of the human popsicles, a black shadow darted past his peripheral. He quickly turned to look, ice at the ready, to see a black shadow man dashing past the Landslide Zone towards the Fire Zone. _'None of my classmates have a quirk like that so it must be one of the villains. I won't let him get away!'_ Todoroki sent a massive wave of ice after the shadow which reacted to the encroaching flood of cold with a swift, powerful kick, shattering it before it could reach him. "What?!" The shadow, without missing a step, continued on to the next zone. "Get back here!" Todoroki shouted as he used his ice to push himself after the shadow.

"He j-just left u-us here!" One villain complained as he shivered from the cold.

"S-someone… h-help!" Todoroki ran into the Fire Zone, far behind the much faster shadow and immediately realized he was at a disadvantage.

'_This fire lowered the humidity in here so I have less ice to work with. I'll need to be careful as I can't just overpower everyone like the last group.'_ After a search of the Zone, he eventually found Ojiro staring down the shadow while surrounded by unconscious villains, his face nervous. Todoroki shot another wave of ice at the figure who swiftly dodged it. "I thought I was the only one in here," Ojiro remarked, happy to see Todoroki come to his aid.

"You were. I came in from the Landslide Zone next door. I'm after that one."

"Really? I thought he was one of ours since he just took out all these villains for me."

"What?" Todoroki asked as he turned to look at Ojiro, confused that the shadow was fighting with them, not against them. He turned back to the figure, only to see it had vanished. _'I let my guard down and he got away.'_

"There was something else about it that was weird."

"Like?"

"It was a lot rougher and less refined but… it fought like Midoriya." Todoroki didn't immediately respond, as if the statement made no sense.

'_It fought like him? That doesn't make any… hmm… Wasn't there a weird rumor going around? I'll need to look into this.'_ "Ojiro, we shouldn't stay here." Todoroki stated as he pointed to his melting ice. "We should regroup with our class now."

"I hear that."

* * *

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**"

Well, Aizawa was right. It could get worse and it sure did. He recognized that roar in an instant after hearing so many times in the last six months. Midoriya had let Rage Shroud enter Second Step. Everyone took note of it but only Shigaraki and Aizawa had any luxury of actually thinking about it for a length of time longer than two seconds. Aizawa watched as the villain turned to the location of the roar, almost shocked by its appearance before immediately scratching his neck.

"You all are an odd bunch to let something like him roam your halls," Aizawa did his best to keep a straight face but part of his frustration seeped through.

'_Damn, he knows it's Midoriya!'_

"I was under the impression that this was a place for heroes and you let the thief Noh, _one of our Nomus no less_, into U.A. as a _student_? Damn, if I knew standards were _that_ low, I'd have applied myself and just killed everyone in their sleep."

"Aizawa… what's he... talking about?" Paranormal asked, out of breath. His arms and legs wavered after holding and smashing the Multi-Nomu into the concrete enough times that there's a whole in the ground five meters deep. Paranormal finally dropped to his knees, gasping for air.

"I-I can't… hold it… anymore…"

"Paranormal, you overexerted yourself. What did I tell you about rationing your power?"

"I must have forgotten that lesson," he said with a smile, "Sorry, Eraserhead…" The Multi-Nomu jumped out of the hole completely unharmed. Paranormal tried to use his power again but the Nomu grabbed his arm and snapped it like a twig between his fingers. "AAAARGH!" Aizawa tried to save his student but, its quirk being a mutant-type, it only ended up being completely ineffectual as even his capture tape was useless. The monster pulled Aizawa in by the tape and caught him by the head before slamming him into the ground hard. It quickly broke Paranormal's other arm, held him up by it, and punched him away with a fist to the face, shattering the glass dome around his head.

"**Aizawa!**" All Might shouted before having to block another attack.

"Raahil!" Echobat and Azurite cried out before their Nomus were on them again. The Multi-Nomu proceeded to give the same treatment to Aizawa, crushing his arms beneath his feet as he held him down.

"How pitiful. I was expecting a little more fight from all these heroes but I guess it can't be helped. Though I've got to say, I'm a little disappointed that you claimed that you could win in ten minutes and in less than five, you're already down two of them." Just as he began speaking, Kurogiri returned, looking heavily winded, "Ah, Kurogiri, I take it Thirteen's been dealt with?" He said in a disparate calmness to the brutality in front of him.

"I've incapacitated them but there were a few students I was unable to disperse and one of the them managed to escape the facility. Backup will be here soon and my casing's been damaged by what appears to be acid. I'm barely able to hold it together as it is now. I might only be able to make a portal big enough for the two of us one more time. Anymore and we risk being trapped here."

A long period of silence began between the both of them as they just stared at each other.

"Grrr…" Shigaraki began to furiously scratch at his neck in irritation, "Kurogiri, you fool! If you weren't our warp gate, I'd tear apart every last atom in your body!" The scratching suddenly stopped as he began to relax. "There's no way we can win if dozens of pros show up to stop us. And in your condition, we can't even bring the Nomus with us. It's game over. Back to the title screen. And here I was hoping to see them die in person. Dammit. Oh well, let's go home."

"What about the roar?"

"What _about_ the roar? Who cares? The bastard might have destroyed my sister's hand but if the Nomus can kill All Might, they'll kill him easily. I just have one thing left to do today and we'll be off."

* * *

"_What are you doing?!"_ Izuku shouted as he floated in the abyss of his own mind. Even if he could see what was happening, he couldn't do anything of his own volition. He was a passenger in his own body now. Even worse, the voice from before had gone silent ever since he let it out. _"Why aren't you saying anything?! Why didn't you just say you wanted the sword instead of scaring them?! And what are you going to do with the sword?! I told you no killing!"_

Still nothing. Izuku watched his body, sword in-hand, make its way to the plaza. He could make out parts of the fight. Paranormal was face up into the ground not moving, arms mangled. Aizawa was lying underneath the six-armed Nomu, his head shoved into the concrete. Echobat was trying to fight off her airborne foe but was losing ground and was being pushed back. All Might was dealing blow after blow but having no luck against his massive Nomu enemy while Azurite could at least stop her's from hitting her.

"_This is bad… They're losing. We've got to help!"_ Suddenly, the boy's body started moving much faster as he saw Shigaraki stand over Paranormal's lifeless body.

* * *

"I don't like leaving a quest half-finished so I might as well finish you o-" As Shigaraki leaned down to put his hand on Paranormal's face, a small pebble flew past his ear.

***Pop* *SCHLICK*** None of the Nomus reacted fast enough. Kurogiri didn't even have the power to do anything to stop it. Even Shigaraki didn't see it coming, All of the heroes still conscious merely looked on in shock.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHUGH!" Shigaraki cried out as he stared at what was left of his right hand. A clean slice from where his thumb would have been connected to where his pinkie would have been ran across his ruined palm. He jumped back as far as he could as he saw who it was. "Izuku", aura much bigger than it's ever been before and lightning sparking so frequently that there's never a moment where there _wa__sn't_ a spark flying, stood shaking with rage as he clutched his bloodied sword. "You little shit! I'll kill you for that!"

"**Shigaraki… Kurogiri... I'LL MAKE YOU BOTH PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO US!**" "Izuku" shouted as he took off running, blade in-hand. **"i'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!"**

"Tomura, we're-ugh!" Kurogiri tried to surround Shigaraki but the two were ambushed by Bakugou and Kirishima. Bakugou grabbed the metal casing holding him down while Kirishima tried to land a blow to Shigaraki but was evaded.

"Can't block my attacks now that I found your weak point, huh, ya mist bitch!"

"Damn, he dodged me."

"Shit! Nomus, kill the brats!" Shigaraki cried out, causing all the Nomus to attempt to break off from the heroes but only Multi-Nomu and Wing-Nomu had any luck. All Might suplexed Muscle-Nomu into the ground while Speed-Nomu wasn't so speedy around Azurite and was quickly beaten back. The Wing-Nomu nearly reached Bakugou before the boy could even react to what was happening but he was swept up by Echobat just in time.

"Let go of me, they're gonna get away!"

"Be glad you're not dying today, kid!" As the Wing-Nomu tried to follow after Echobat and Bakugou, The Multi-Nomu placed itself between Shigaraki and the charging "Izuku".

"**OUT OF MY WAY!**" "Izuku" demanded as he dodged the monster's attempt to grapple him with a warp to his shoulders, stabbing the sword into his exposed brain repeatedly, causing it to shriek out as its limbs began to stop responding to commands to kill him.

"_Stop it!"_ Izuku screamed from inside his own mind as he watched his body viciously stab Multi-Nomu to death but to no avail. "Izuku" jumped off of its shoulders before chopping its head off with a clean slice as he landed on the ground, shocking everyone as they saw Multi-Nomu drop to the ground and finally stay down. Kurogiri, now free, wrapped himself around Shigaraki as the boy closed in. "Izuku" readied a slice to Shigaraki's head but the portal closed just as his blade swished by.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!**" "Izuku" roared as Shigaraki escaped. He saw the Wing-Nomu fly towards him but it soon lost the fast-moving monster of a boy as well as its head as "Izuku" cut that off too. He eyed the other two Nomus and started rushing towards them as Tsuyu, Minoru and Ochako finally arrived on the scene with Tokoyami and Koda in tow. On the other side of the plaza, the rest of the scattered class including Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Ojiro, Jirou and Kaminari.

"Is that Midoriya?" Ojiro asked, confused by the crimson monster.

"Yeah, we ran into him earlier and he was like that," Kaminari answered, "Scared the hell out of us, especially when he made a shadow of himself."

"Wait, that shadow came from him?" Todoroki inquired, with Yaoyorozu nodding.

"It would seem that there's so much more to Midoriya then what he's let us see…" she looked to the freshly decapitated head, disgusted as well as scared, "even his more feral side..."

"This is horrible…" Tsu muttered as she took in the scene. Two dead bodies, two near-dead heroes and two more fights going on between All Might, Azurite and their respective Nomus. Minoru barfed from seeing all the blood and severed heads which unfortunately led to Koda following suit.

"This has to stop, now!" Tokoyami urged as he watched "Izuku" close in on the Speed-Nomu. Ochako turned to Aizawa, the only person who could stop "Izuku" and helped him up to look at Izuku. Aizawa, barely conscious, took one look at the boy and watched him as all the anger in his face disappeared and the boy fell forward, out like a light.

"Turn me to the other Nomus…" Aizawa's raspy and pained voice directed, with Ochako using her quirk to pick up her teacher and assist him. He looked at the Muscle-Nomu first.

"**Alright, time to wrap this up! If 100% isn't enough, then how about a little more?!**" All Might grabbed the bruiser by the arm and threw him upwards before throwing him back down to the ground hard enough he bounced off the concrete. "**Time to go beyond!**" All Might reeled his arm back and with all his power,"**PLUS… ULTRA!**" drove it straight into the Nomus gut, launching him through the roof and into the sky. Aizawa turned to the Speed-Nomu, which gave Azurite the cue to go.

"Fully charged!" The cold aura around her vanished as she punched the Nomu hard enough to shatter every bone in its torso before cocking her leg back, "Galactic..." and kicked the Nomu in the chest, " PUNT!" and sent it too flying out the hole All Might left in the roof.

"**They were able to absorb our blows before but with that gone, I doubt they'll get back up from that!**" All Might reassured the students after watching All Might and Azurite work together.

"Echo, get Para some help. I need to go discharge before I accidentally break something." Azurite ordered as she walked to the Flood Zone and immediately dove underwater. Followed seconds later by a plume of water ten meters high exploded out, shocking everyone watching.

"Right." As she worked on checking Paranormal, All Might rounded up the loose students into one group at the base of the stairs.

"**I know you've all seen a lot today. Some of which I would have preferred you never had to. But, for now, put it out of your minds until the police arrive and just focus on returning to the entrance and get to safety.**"

"All Might, I think we're owed an explanation. What was _that_ with Midoriya?" Todoroki demanded as he pointed to the boy still on the ground, with the students not in the know nodding. Ochako, Tsuyu and Minoru all looked at All Might, concerned as they carried the unconscious Aizawa. All Might looked over his shoulder to Izuku, still lying where he fell like everyone was too afraid to go near him.

"**That you are, but it's a long story and we're still in danger. I ask you to wait until after school today. Then we'll explain everything.**" The class didn't seem all that enthused by the answer, but none of them had any energy or will left to argue with All Might.

"We'll hold you to it." All Might flashed a smile and a thumbs up at the agreement.

Just then, the doors to the entrance flew open, allowing the staff and other pro heroes to rush in just as several villains started to wake up.

"Don't worry everyone! I've brought help!" Iida shouted triumphantly as he followed them in.

"Oh, thank god," Ashido sighed with relief. Sato and Shoji, the two holding Thirteen up on their shoulders, handed them over to two heroes they didn't recognize before being escorted out with the others.

"Our first priority is the safety of our students!" Nezu ordered with a smile from atop Vlad King's shoulder, before he caught a look at the plaza and all the devastation therein. "Oh dear… it seems it was worse than we thought…"

Within eight minutes, five more before help arrived, all the villains were rounded up and all the students were safe. Though for most of them, they were far from joyous after everything that happened.

* * *

**A/N: This was fun. :D.**

**That's the end of Act 1 everyone! Let's celebrate a completely meaningless milestone! **

***Pfut***

**Damn budget cuts.**

**In related news, this is now my longest story... and we're only just through USJ god dammit, why is this so long!? _How_ did this get so long?!**

**So, as most probably noticed, nothing really changes at first but it quickly devolved from there, huh? I mean, two decapitations and half a severed hand? Izuku's going for the high score!**

**However, other than that, I don't really have much else to say as I'm just waiting to see what you all think of my new USJ. Remember: We accept all constructive criticism.**

**Reviews:**

**ProjectIceman: :) It's one of my favorite tropes. Easy top five.**

**Kaore Ryu: Okay before I get into this review, quick thing: I got the email saying this review came in, and when I went to check it out, it straight up vanished despite my email saying it existed, my fanfiction legacy story stats page saying it existed, and the review count saying it existed. I just couldn't read it on the site for whatever reason. Anyway, to the review itself: The day is here! It's USJ time! I hope you enjoyed watching my wild ride! Spoilers, we ain't done yet as the next line proves!**

**Next chapter: Ramifications to letting Izuku the Destroyer be a hero! And Eri is having none of it,**

**Till next time, Sal out!**


	16. Ch 16: Trust

**Ch. 16: Trust**

Izuku opened his eyes to once again find himself in the dark void that had become distressingly familiar the last several minutes as he watched his body run out of control. As he floated in the vast abyss of his own mind, he could feel the presence of the... _thing_ that he had made the mistake of letting out. He looked around in the empty darkness to find nothing that stood out, just more nothing. The searing, boiling pain from earlier had vanished when Aizawa turned off Rage Shroud and was replaced by a cold, almost freezing pressure that weighed him down.

"I know you can hear me. Why don't you say something?" Izuku asked, his voice steady but filled with anger at the lies of the other presence.

"**Sorry. Our ability to speak with each other is still weak.**" Izuku took in the voice but strangely, he couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman speaking. It sounded familiar to him through but even he couldn't remember where he heard it. "**We've only just now formed a strong enough link that we can hear each other clearly… for the most part. Hearing you was impossible for a while there.**"

"Is that why you decided to do the exact thing I told you not to? Because you didn't have to listen to me?"

"**...**"

"Oh, good," Izuku snarked, "More of this now?"

"**Apologies, but can you be certain that leaving Shigaraki alive would be for the best?**" Izuku looked out to the darkness, unsure of what the voice was trying to say. "**Hypothetically, if we defeated him and he was arrested, would that be the end of it? That he can't escape? That he wouldn't still be a threat? He came to your school to attack and kill your class and your teachers. What good would a prison do against a madman like him? Or is the only reason you wanted to take him alive is because you didn't want the blood on ****_your_**** hands?**"

"It wouldn't be on my hands! It'd be on yours!" Izuku gasped quietly as the voice began to chuckle at him.

"**Did you forget? As far as the outside world would be concerned, these hands ****_are_**** your hands,**" Izuku looked at his hands and then thought about it. He never told anyone about the fact there was another presence in his body. Another personality. Another person.

One with the will to kill. Izuku took a deep breath and stared at the darkness with stern eyes.

"If this is how you're going to be, I won't use Rage Shroud ever again," Izuku declared to the voice, only for it to laugh at him.

"**Hahahaha,** **you really think you can avoid it?**" The voice asked, "**All For One took All Might's stomach and lungs. Shigaraki and Kurogiri took Tai, a man you called 'Dad', from you. While Shigaraki is a mere child in comparison to his boss, there's no denying he can get stronger, especially after seeing what All For One could do with you.**"

"Even so, I can't let you risk hurting someone innocent."

"**Your classmates and teachers were never harmed by us,**" The voice corrected, "**In fact, an argument could be made that this power is what saved them. Without it, you alone may not have been able to deal with those minor foes so quickly and reach the plaza in time to save that man.**" Izuku began to shake as he listened to the voice talk, equally angry and unsure of himself. Could he have made it in time? And what about Jirou, Kaminari, and Yaoyarozu. Did they need his help or would they have been fine on their own till help arrived? He didn't know and he hated that he couldn't know.

"How can I trust you? I asked you not to kill anyone and you agreed. 'We have an accord' were _your_ words. And then what happens? Those two nomus? Dead by head loss. Shigaraki? He's missing all his fingers on one hand and almost had _his_ head chopped off too."

"**...Shigaraki, Kurogiri, All For One. These men are monsters that created even more monsters using the powers they steal from others. They kidnapped you, made you like this. Can you really believe, for even a second, that they can be left alive without it causing more problems down the line?**" No. No, actually, he couldn't. But, even so, he couldn't bear the thought of taking a life, even people like them. "**Though, I guess it would be fine for you if someone else did the killing? Then, you wouldn't have to worry about all the negative repercussions like being sent to prison, right?**" Izuku clenched his fists in rage before thinking about what was just said and calming down with a smirk.

"You do realize that if I'm in prison, you can't kill Shigaraki, right? And that means you can't get revenge on him or All For One and Kurogiri."

"**...**"

"Are you kidding me?! That didn't cross your mind once?!" Izuku screamed into the abyss, furious that it potentially screwed him over.

"**...There was a more important matter to deal with at the time. But, back on topic, this power is the only way you have any chance of facing them. Without Rage Shroud, you have no hope. Your friends will die. Your family will die. They will destroy everything you care about. These horrible beings can't be reasoned with. They care only about destruction. Remember that.**"

***Thump Thump***

"**It would appear our time is up for now. You can try and face the world without Rage Shroud all you want. But you will fail. Until we meet again, try not to die.**"

"Wait, we aren't done!" Izuku had to cover his eyes as a blinding flash of light filled his vision, banishing the darkness.

"_How long will the operation take?"_ Izuku gasped as his head started to pound. He knew this feeling and it was more painful every time.

"_Hard to say. He's so young that going too fast may break him immediately…"_ Another, older voice answered. Izuku's eyes opened to see another blinding light that whited out his vision for several seconds before he adjusted and was able to take in his surroundings. His wrists and legs were tied down and a man with white hair, a business suit and an unreadable face stood over him at the side of the table he was lying on. He was looking away towards another bald man with goggles and a white lab coat. Izuku looked towards his stomach and saw tubes flowing into his opened stomach. The white-haired man looked down at the boy before smiling.

"_Ah, he seems to have woken up."_ He said, voice calm and even a little friendly. The aura he was giving off though was one drenched in death and destruction, malice and evil. Izuku couldn't move. He couldn't scream. All he could do was stare.

"_Well, that's unfortunate. His screaming will be so obnoxious once the procedure begins…"_ Izuku's eyes widened as far as they could go as the short man walked over to a nearby control pad. _"Sir, you may leave the rest to me. The Nomu process will be a while and I know you're a busy man."_

"_Very well. I leave the rest in your capable hands, Doctor." _The man left the room and Izuku watched as the doctor calmly hit a few more buttons and a machine above him came to life. Izuku could only lie in fear before he felt like he was being stabbed on every inch of his body. Searing, completely deafening pain shot through his entire being, causing him to scream out in agony. It felt like something was being shoved into him. Something foreign and unnatural. His muscles were tensing at the process and his bones began to feel like they could snap at any moment.

* * *

Izuku tried to shoot up but felt himself held down on a gurney by leather straps laid over the entire length of his body and metal cuffs around his wrists. Izuku began to panic, unsure of if he was still dreaming or still lost in a memory as he struggled.

"Midoriya, calm down," A stern voice commanded as a white gauntlet was placed on his chest gently. Izuku looked up to see Vlad King looking at him, completely collected. Vlad himself took note of Izuku's eyes as they had returned to their normal green. "It's over. You're safe now. No one's here to harm you. The villains have been dealt with." Izuku slowly stopped shaking as he tried to catch his breath, still panting with confused fear. He took a look around to see himself in the back of an ambulance with Vlad King and a cat-headed police officer who was so startled by Izuku's sudden wake-up that he had reached for his taser. Izuku finally slumped back onto the gurney, no longer having the will to move.

"How… how are the others?" Izuku noticed how tired his voice was, likely an after-effect of being in Rage Shroud for as long as he was. Vlad King raised an eyebrow at the question, slightly surprised by it, "Is everyone alright?

"Your classmates all made it out safely. The only injury was Uraraka breaking a finger though I don't know the full story," Izuku's conflicted heart hurt as he listened. He was happy that Ochako and his classmates were safe but at the same time, his friend was hurt and he didn't know why.

"I can get in touch with Tsukauchi if you'd like to know the cause." Tamakawa offered as he finally put the taser away, no longer feeling threatened by the boy. Izuku nodded, causing the officer to get on his phone.

"And the teachers?"

"..." Vlad looked away for a moment before answering, "I'm afraid that Aizawa, Thirteen, and Paranormal have all been injured by the villains."

'_Even Thirteen was hurt…'_

"I'm surprised you're not asking if you hurt anyone. Or wondering if you're in trouble and about to be expelled," Vlad admitted, causing Izuku to take a deep breath as he braced himself for what he was going to say.

"I remember... everything about what happened in there…" Vlad's eyes visibly widened, astonished. He was told Midoriya couldn't remember anything while in Second Step but now he could, "I remember fighting all the villains... and then I walked up to Kaminari, Yaoyarozu, and Jirou and…" Izuku hesitated. He didn't want to say it but he knew he had to. "I scared them. They were afraid of me… of what I was… They looked at me like I was going to kill them..." Vlad remained silent as he looked over to the officer, visibly worried about what the boy was saying, "Being expelled worries me but… I didn't hurt my classmates physically, but you can hurt someone without laying a finger on them…" Vlad nodded as Izuku relaxed. He remembered seeing the Earphone Jack girl Jirou and seeing the young woman in shock from what happened. He left out a lot though, especially everything regarding the voice and his new memory. He felt a bit guilty but it would be better to keep it a secret. At least for now. The memory could only have been about him. The man that did this to him and his assistant that helped.

All For One. He had to keep it under wraps until he could talk to All Might or Principal Nezu. The officer in the room had finished explaining what Izuku had said on the other line.

"Turns out, Uraraka was injured by her own quirk when she and her friends escaped from the lake. That means none of the villains were able to harm a single student." Izuku sighed with relief at the news, thankful for that. Though, it worried him that Ochako had to go that far just to survive. Though, he probably wasn't one to judge, especially after what happened, "However, the teachers will have to inform your classmates about your… circumstances." He knew it was coming and the only reason he didn't roll his eyes is because he was too tired to really try.

"Fine. Not like I can avoid it now…" Tamakawa nodded with a sigh before telling Tsukauchi about Izuku's approval. The boy closed his eyes as he let the exhaustion take him away.

* * *

The outside of the U.S.J. looked like the scene of an actual atrocity as police cars and officers, armored transports for the villains, ambulances, and pro heroes were rushing back and forth as Class 1-A watched it all unfold in front of them. The class was asked to stay put as they were each interviewed one at a time by Detective Tsukauchi. Ochako, Tsuyu and Minoru sat on the ground and watched on as they looked towards the end of the street where an ambulance that carried Izuku away had gone.

"How are you dears feeling?" Recovery Girl asked as she walked up to the trio, a somber but professional look on her face. Ochako and Minoru remained quiet, still processing the events that had transpired.

"Mino and I are fine but Ochako broke a finger in there." Ochako held up her broken finger that Recovery Girl wasted no time fixing with a wet kiss to Ochako's finger.

"Even now, you're not going to stop calling me 'Mino'?" Minoru asked, slightly annoyed but mostly just tired.

"Nope."

"There we go, good as new," Recovery Girl said with a sigh, "I'm thankful that you're the only injury amongst the students." As Recovery Girl finished working her magic, Ochako felt the drowsiness hit her but she stayed coherent enough to speak.

"Recovery Girl, how's Mr. Aizawa, Thirteen, and Izu?"

"Yeah, and that Paranormal guy too," Minoru added.

"Are they going to be okay?" Tsu asked. Recovery Girl took a deep sigh as she scratched her bun anxiously.

"Well, I could only get a brief look before recommending all of them to a hospital but I have a general idea of how things are." Recovery Girl began, "Thirteen will be fine. Just some lacerations across the back from their quirk. Nothing life threatening. Aizawa and Paranormal, however, suffered serious injuries and that's just from what could be seen without x-rays. Both of them could need surgery before I could be able to help them, but I won't know until a more thorough exam is performed." The trio gulped a little at the thought of the damage being _that _bad, "As for Midoriya… Physically, he seems fine but he's still out cold. We're not sure how long he was in that state so we're also unsure of when he'll wake up…" She leaned forward to whisper the next part, "...or if he'll immediately go berserk the second he does. We sent Vlad King with him but without Aizawa, if he loses control again, we might not be able to do anything about it, short of sending All Might." Ochako sighed as she stared at her previously injured hand, wondering what else she could have done to help. As Recovery Girl walked away to check on the other students before heading to the hospital, Tsu looked at Ochako's downtrodden face.

"I know that face," Tsu began, catching Ochako's attention, "You're upset about something." Ochako pulled her knees close and hugged them.

"I just… If I had better control over this power, I might have made more of a difference."

"Well, it is what it is." Minoru commented as he laid down onto the grass, happy that the madness was over. Tsu looked over her shoulder to glare at the boy who shrugged it off with a wave of his hand, "Put the glare away, Tsu. You'll get wrinkles."

"Can't you be considerate for once in your life?"

"What do you want me to say?" Minoru fired back, "We've been here not even a week and had _six_ pros with us, one of which was _All Might_. Greatest hero on the face of the planet. If _they_ couldn't handle it, what were _we_ gonna do?" Tsu continued to stare a hole into Minoru, but he ignored it, "Look, Ochako, we did what we could. No one died-" Minoru was interrupted as two body bags carrying the Nomus were wheeled by, "No one _important_ died," Minoru corrected.

"Hey, you three," Yaoyarozu called out as the class started filing onto the bus, "We're heading back."

"Be right there!" Minoru called out, "I wouldn't worry about what we couldn't do. We're going to have bigger problems here in a minute." Tsu and Ochako cocked their heads at what Minoru said.

"Like?"

"We're Izuku's friends, aren't we?" The two nodded, before realizing what he was implying.

"They're going to demand answers from us…"

* * *

Detecting Tsukauchi stood at the entrance to the U.S.J, looking out to the rest of the building as a small army of police officers were escorting villains and searching the facility for evidence. The two Nomus that weren't ended by Midoriya were captured a fair distance away and were completely docile, as if they forgot what they were supposed to be doing. He tapped his foot anxiously, wondering what would happen now that U.A. had been broken into, especially after the school just shifted to a boarding school system.

"**You'll go gray stressing yourself out like that, Naomasa,**" Tsukauchi turned to see the familiar frame of All Might who was flanked by Principal Nezu as the two walked up, "**You should take a deep breath, you know,**" Tsukauchi followed All Might's advice and took a moment to steady himself.

"Sorry. Just wondering how the backlash is going to pan out from here. Especially when we add Midoriya to the mix."

"You leave the public relations to us," Nezu suggested, "We've prepared for the eventuality of something like Midoriya's circumstances getting out as well as the possibility of an attack so I'm not worried about that too much. We've placed a gag order on Class 1-A and once they've changed out of their hero clothes, we'll be having them sent straight back to their dorms for the time being. I doubt word will get out, even with the latest rumor I've heard circulating the halls."

"A rumor?"

"Supposedly, it got out that one of our students has a criminal record, no doubt referring to Midoriya. The odd thing is though, he's never mentioned by name."

"We've had baseless rumors like this before so I'm not going to lose sleep over it," Nezu remarked as he shook his head, "However, the fact that this one is actually correct is a bit unnerving. How did it get out and where did it start?" As Nezu spoke All Might began to wonder about it as well.

'_Young Midoriya isn't careless. He wouldn't just go around telling everyone he could so what happened? It couldn't have been from him or his name would have been mentioned in the rumor…'_ All Might looked to Naomasa to see him deep in thought. "**I suppose for now, it doesn't matter how it got out. Unfortunately, we can't avoid the fact that almost every student in the class witnessed what happened with Young Midoriya. We'll have to answer their questions.**"

"Personally, I would prefer if Midoriya himself were to answer them. Or at the very least, get confirmation from him that it would be alright to disclose everything to his classmates."

***Ring*** Naomasa's phone came to life, surprising the detective as he pulled it out. "Ah, it's Tamakawa," *Click* "Hello, Tamakawa. How's Midoriya?"

"_Conscious, lucid, and exhausted. No problems here."_ Naomasa sighed. He was glad that the worst-case scenario hadn't come to pass. It would be problematic if Midoriya hadn't returned to normal without Eraserhead.

"That's good to hear. We could use some good news,"

"_Well, I'm not sure if this is good per se…"_ Naomasa listened as Tamakawa filled him in on what Midoriya was saying, stopping for a minute when Midoriya had started talking about how he was fully aware of everything that was happening around him but was powerless to stop it. Naomasa quickly pulled out a notepad and wrote down what Tamakawa had relayed to him. He also made sure to inform the officer about Uraraka's condition and how it happened to bring some peace of mind to the boy, before hanging up. Naomasa quickly informed the two heroes.

"**So, he's stable then. That is good news.**"

"We should have him brought back to campus as soon as possible. I'm sure his mother and sister will probably be worried. Where are they now?"

"**Well, I took the liberty of informing his mother of what happened and told her which hospital he was being taken to. As for Young Eri… she might still be in her room at the dorm but I don't know what Mrs. Midoriya did with her.**"

"In that case, I'd appreciated if you called her back and check with her." All Might nodded as Nezu turned to Naomasa, "Detective, you have the run of the campus. Do whatever you must to find the League of Villains and Shigaraki. I don't care who says otherwise."

"Much obliged, sir," Naomasa said with a bow. The principal quickly turned to leave, leaving the other two alone.

"**I'd love to say, but I've only got another twenty minutes. I should head back myself,**"

"Don't worry. You can leave the investigation to us. We'll find them, Toshinori."

"**I'll pray for your success!**" All Might shouted with a wave as he quickly made himself scarce. Tsukauchi looked at the notepad and Midoriya's recollection of events. There was a nagging feeling of something… off about it. He would need to pay Midoriya a visit

* * *

Shigaraki stared at the news report on the TV, furious as he clutched his injured, bandaged hand. How could things have gone so wrong. All the small fry? Captured. The four Nomus? Two dead and two in police custody. Kurogiri needs a new casing to sustain him and he's missing a freaking hand. Worst of all, All Might had not only survived, but was completely unharmed according to the news. The nomus, beings created for the sole purpose of killing him, were stopped dead and defeated. He was angry. He was frustrated. He just wanted to walk back there and turn the whole school to dust along with the rest of the wretched world. But, he couldn't. He was in no condition to fight and with only one hand left, he could feel his quirk slipping away from him. He had to be careful from now on.

"_Tomura, if you stare at the TV any harder, you'll hurt your eyes,"_ The voice of his master came through a second monitor though no video to see the man himself, _"And I'm pretty sure the doctor told you to rest for now."_

"Sensei… why…?"

"_...Hmm?"_

"Why wasn't All Might weaker? Why was the prototype Nomu there? Where did it all go wrong?"

"_I can guarantee that All Might was weaker. It's just that our Nomus had blind spots we didn't account for. We were foolish to think that Super Regeneration would cover decapitation or for not realizing that Shock Absorption wouldn't work against a sharp blade but they say science is 90% trial and error."_

'_Your "error" cost me my hand!'_ Tomura thought to himself.

"_As for the boy, I must say that even I didn't think they would actually take the boy in with how adamant this society is with locking away even the most minor of criminals. Though this also means that they are aware of my survival. As for where it went wrong; that's something you'll just have to figure out for yourself. You lost, Tomura but you're still alive. Learn from this mistake and grow from it. For now, we lick our wounds and prepare for the next fight. I ask that you overcome this failure and become stronger for it,"_ With that, the screen shut itself off, leaving Tomura alone with his thoughts as he took in his sensei's words. He was too arrogant, thinking that all he needed was the Nomus and he'd be fine, even though all of them lacked anything resembling combat tactics beyond punch and crush the thing. Good against students. Not so much pros heroes. He left himself open when he tried to kill that one hero. He should have been more cautious about the boy when he found out he was there. They also should have taken out Eraserhead sooner rather than later. Also, the small-time villains he rounded up were far too weak. He needed stronger recruits.

He needed to fix a lot of things. Only then would he be able to kill All Might and that brat.

"I'll kill them all… if it's the last thing I do…"

* * *

"I'm not sure how much we can rely on the boy." All For One heard over his shoulder as he sat in a chair, staring at the live feed of the bar, "He's already lost access to his quirk in his right hand due to his own idiocy and childishness, not to mention the carelessness of both him and Kurogiri. He'll likely cost us precious time in the future if he fails to produce results."

"Give him time, Doctor. He still has a chance to turn this situation around," All For One reassured his confidant.

"You know as well as I do that the only reason he escaped was by dumb luck," Doctor began to rant, "Had Kurogiri suffered any more damage than he did, he wouldn't be here. Not only that, he managed to lose four of my strongest children in an operation that I can confidently call a failure. We only gained info on Subject 1113 but he has failed in every other regard."

"Indeed, he has. But, he's still alive and still angry. He will overcome this."

"As a man of science, I require evidence before I back this horse of yours. As far as I can tell, it's not a horse but a horse-shaped bag filled with giant hornets."

"Hahahaha, I guess you're still mad I chose him over your project, no?"

"He was perfect and developing nicely. He even had a wiped memory for you to mold to create the perfect heir. A young boy, scorned by society, given the power and purpose to fulfill your life's work. And by the sound of things, this is the second time my creation has embarrassed yours."

"That's true enough. Almost makes me wish we took the time to capture him last November. However, I think he will be the most beneficial to us where he is now. Society isn't fond of criminals and villains. And now, one is trying to become a hero. No one is going to let that happen without causing a scene… and a few scandals."

* * *

Class 1-A slowly but surely walked up to their dorm with Midnight as their escort. The other classes were all watching from their dorms with a mixture of confusion and worry Ochako did her best to ignore the stares. It wasn't important right now.

No, she had to figure out how the three were going to explain what was happening with Midoriya. Midnight checked a message on her phone from the principal as they arrived at the dorm, before she turned to face the class.

"Okay, before you head in, I know you all have questions regarding what you saw today. However, I ask that you wait patiently. Principal Nezu will be here shortly to explain everything." Well… that's reassuring. Ochako breathed a sigh as the responsibility was taken by a much smarter person than herself. One that was much better at dealing with people.

One that, thankfully, probably already knew this would happen.

As the class filed in, Ochako was the last one in, though the second the door shut, the entire room shifted towards her and her friends.

"Talk, now." Todoroki ordered; voice as cold as his eyes.

"No." The whole class looked down at Minoru, who stood with his hands in his pockets, defiantly staring down the ice-user. Everyone, even Tsuyu, was shocked at the brazen resistance by Minoru, who earlier that day, wouldn't stop crying about dying.

"What?"

"I said, no. We don't have to tell you anything. You heard Midnight: The principal himself is coming over to explain everything. What, you leave your patience at U.S.J?"

"I've waited long enough."

"That's nice. Why should I care? What are you going to do, huh? After what happened today, you gonna force information out of me?" The class was still as Minoru pulled his hands out of his pockets and invited Todoroki to try something, an invitation that Todoroki did not accept. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Come on, guys!" Kirishima quickly intervened, "This isn't the time to be fighting."

"I'm not fighting though. I'm just standing here, explaining that I won't be saying anything about Zuku. If he has a problem with it, then that sounds like a personal problem." Minoru quipped as he walked over to the couches and seated himself in one.

"So, Midoriya is the one from the rumor. The one about the student with the criminal record." Todoroki asked, catching the rest of the room off-guard.

"Even if I said no, you'd probably just call me a liar." Minoru quipped as he turned on the TV. As Ochako watched on, Tsu could only shake her head.

"Where did this guy get the nerve to stand up for himself?" Tsu asked under her breath.

'_He's not standing up for himself. He's standing up for Izu… His friend,'_ Just then, the elevator opened to show Eri coming down from her room. She instantly took note of everyone standing around in the common room and quickly made herself smaller as everyone looked towards her. Tsuyu quickly ran over and picked her up, allowing her to relax. She turned and whispered into Tsu's ear.

"Why's everyone standing around for? Where's Big Bro?" The class sat down around the TV as Tsu explained to Eri what happened… as well as where Izuku was.

"..." Eri was silent. She had so many questions to ask but… Bro told her to not talk about Chisaki or Shigaraki or their respective connections. She wasn't sure what to say after hearing Shigaraki had attacked the class… and her big brother had basically stomped most of the army and took the hand villain's right hand. Though she had to admit, he got what was coming to him. "Is that why Inko left in such a hurry? Why didn't she take me with her?!" Eri pouted, upset that she didn't get to go see her brother in the hospital.

"Hello, students!" Nezu chirped as he walked into the dorm, "I'm sorry for making you all wait for me." The students all stood up to greet the principal before he waved them down, "Now, now, no need to get up. In fact," Nezu quickly stood in front of the class and performed a deep bow to the students, "I owe you all an apology."

"Whoa, Principal, you don't have to apologize!" Kaminari stated, with some of his classmates nodding.

"Yeah, it wasn't your fault that villains attacked us!" Ashido added but Nezu simply shook his head.

"I'm afraid I do. I'm in charge of this school so your safety is my responsibility. But that's not the only reason I want to apologize. I'm sorry for not making any effort to inform you of the circumstances regarding Midoriya and putting you in danger because of it." The class went silent as they processed what their principal was talking about. Images flashed in the students' heads as they recalled what Midoriya had done. Defeating the villains, the frenzied glare, the menacing aura he was giving off, the brutality he showed towards the Nomus and Shigaraki, all of the horrifying visuals that the teens had to witness so early into their school year. "We owe you an explanation, then I will give you a choice regarding Midoriya."

"A choice?" Iida asked, voice unsure and shaky. Ochako just realized that this was the first time Iida had said anything. He didn't even get involved when Minoru and Todoroki were trading words.

"Yes. I will be allowing you, his classmates, to decide whether you wish to continue having him be a member of your class."

"WHAT?!" The class shouted in unison, shocked by the suggestion.

"Midoriya will not be removed from the hero course, but if you all feel uncomfortable sharing a class with him, he will be relocated to learn on his own in special courses tailored to him and his abilities. The last thing I want is for any of you to feel threatened while you're here under my watch." The class all looked amongst themselves before looking to Nezu.

"Maybe we should hear about Midoriya first," Yaoyarozu argued, "Then we'll make an informed decision." Nezu took a seat in a chair and began to explain everything about Izuku. His kidnapping at a young age. His transformation into a Nomu, his lost memories, and his time as Noh. The class, silent as if they were receiving a lecture, could only feel conflicted as more and more information about their classmate came out.

"That is the extent of our knowledge regarding Midoriya. Do any of you have any questions?"

"I have one," Todoroki asked, face impassive, "Why did you bring Midoriya here?"

"There were a few reasons. You saw the first earlier today. Rage Shroud is a terrifying quirk on its own but the fact that the person using it has so many more on top of that just enhances its power. Another was that Midoriya possessed a genuine love of heroes and wanted to become one. With dedication and proper tutelage, that danger could be replaced with a reassuring feeling of protection as the power is turned against villains. The last reason was that I want to change how our country views criminals." The class all looked at him, confused, "We have systematic discrimination against anyone who's committed a crime, regardless of how petty or severe the crime is or even the circumstances. Midoriya was a confused boy who struggled with the grief of losing the only family he had and went about avenging him the complete wrong way. He's not a lost cause and it's heartbreaking to think that the world will view him like that just because he was a thief. A thief that only targeted other criminals and never an innocent. Those are my reasons. Midoriya, even with my blessing, still had to earn his way in, as I'm sure Iida over there could tell you." Iida recoiled in surprise from having his name called. "I heard from Present Mic that you two got off on the wrong foot at the test."

"Yes, sir but we patched things up after I saw how selfless he was for deciding to help others even though he didn't know about the rescue points."

"Wait, what?" Hagakure asked, "You mean he was just going around helping others with no idea that he was getting points from it."

"Well, if he's words to be believed," Shoji countered, "We have no way of knowing if that's the truth."

"Well, it would literally take me one phone call and I could have the answer to that in an hour," Nezu replied, shutting Shoji down, "I know an officer with a lie detector quirk who could easily confirm that."

"I take it this was the same officer who interviewed Midoriya, no?" Aoyama asked.

"The very same!" Nezu answered with a smile, "Now that I've told you all this, I'll let you decide what you want me to do with Midoriya. Do you want him to be moved to his own special class or are you fine with him staying with Class 1-A?" The class looked conflicted as they weighed the options. Sure, Midoriya himself seemed harmless but… the look on his face during the attack, the feral mauling of any villain in his path, his complete lack of control over it. Was it worth the risk to them?

"Excuse me, Mr. Nezu sir?" Everyone in the room turned to Tsu's lap to look at Eri with her hand up, "Is it okay if I talk about Sei-I mean, Izuku saving me." The class all reacted with shock at what Eri said. Nezu even gave her a sympathetic look as she looked him in the eyes.

"Are you sure? I don't want to bring up bad memories."

"I'm sure. I don't want you guys to talk bad about my brother no more. He's the best person I've ever met and I owe him so much that I don't think I could ever pay him back. I want you to see him how I see him." Nezu smiled at the suggestion and nodded.

"The floor's all yours, young lady."

* * *

**A/N: I know a lot of you were expecting a longer chapter with more stuff happening in it but... I hate summer. I hate summer so goddamn much. It's ****_so_**** hot and I can barely ****_think_****, much less ****_write_****. I'm spending so much time in the water that I could be classified as an "Aquatic Mammal". I take breaks just to go for a swim and cool down and then I get sweaty again in like a half hour.**

**This season can go right to hell. I'm sure it would enjoy it with how hot it is down there!**

**I intended more for this chapter but one of the beautiful things about storytelling is that I can just shift some things around so I could do certain scenes later because the order of events… actually doesn't matter all that much as long as they happen. Storytelling is weird like that.**

**Reviews:**

**ProjectIceman: Yeah, sic 'em Eri… Next chapter, though because it's hot. Also, I see what you did there. I see your reference. But I'm a nice man and I'll ****_cut_**** you a break.**

**Jack Redhawke: *Sounds of Sal banging his head against his desk as he goes through literally every chapter and corrects the typos and then continues to do so until time stops* Thank *THUD* you *THUD* sir *THUD* for *THUD* tell *THUD* ling *THUD* me *THUD* (Let's be real, in his state, do you really think he could get it up anyway? I wouldn't be surprised if All For One gave him the mother of all nut checks-what the hell am I even talking about anymore?!)**

**AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad to hear it! It's so satisfying to do something and it works.**

**Kmbrun: Miss, do you know how fast you were going? I'm gonna have to ask you to slow down before the reading police pull you over for speeding… Wow, the heat has driven me nuts... Still, thanks for binge reading! Glad to know I held your attention for two days which is… far beyond what I anticipated my abilities to be.**

**Next chapter: Eri's life with Big Bro.**

**Till next time, Sal sweats.**


	17. Ch 17: Eri Saichirou

**Ch. 17: Eri Saichirou**

Eri tossed and turned in her sleep before sitting up suddenly, breathing heavily. Another nightmare. Just another to add to the ever-expanding list. She looked around her room to get her bearings. Her bed was comfy but as she looked around the sterile, unremarkable room, a cold chill washed over her. She was still there. Locked in her room underground She sighed as she laid back into her bed and waited. She couldn't leave the room and had no real desire to get out of bed to play with any of the numerous gifts and toys that she was routinely showered with.

***Knock* *Knock* *Knock***

"Breakfast time, Eri," a random grunt called out from the hallway before letting himself in. He walked up and handed her a plate of eggs and toast and set a cup of orange juice down on the end table next to her, "Be sure to eat everything or your father will be upset." He said as he left the room to let her eat. Eri slowly began to eat away at her breakfast, stopping to take a small drink every few bites.

Her father. Her _new_ father. That's what she'd been told. She had been there ever since her birthday when it happened. That her mother didn't want her and gave her up to Chisaki after her real father died…

After she killed him. After she made him disappear. She doesn't remember the event all that well... She hugged her father and then… he was gone. She rubbed the horn on her head, the one that grew after his death. Now, it was the only thing that ever appeared when she went to sleep, forcing her to relive it, over and over and over again. With one exception…

"Eri, are you finished?" Eri winced slightly as she heard a new voice call out to her. The door opened to the familiar Chisaki and his right-hand man, Chronostasis. The two walked up to her as she set the now empty plate on the nightstand. "Good. I'm glad to see that you're eating well." Chisaki removed the blankets and allowed Eri to get out of bed. The man in the plague mask held out his hand for her to hold, which she reluctantly took without complaint.

Eri walked down the sterile hall of the Shie Hassaikai underground base with Chisaki holding her hand. She peered behind her to see Chronostasis following behind them, making sure she couldn't go anywhere even if she could break free from her so-called father's grip. _'She had gotten used to this,'_ she told herself. "This was all to help people," she was told. She wanted to believe it. She_ had_ to believe it.

It was the only way to endure the pain that she was about to feel.

Chisaki unlocked the door leading into his lab and pushed it open. The lights flicked on as Chronostasis flipped them on. Eri took a deep breath as Chisaki led her to the elevated chair in the middle of the room before picking her up and sat her down in it. The chair was specially designed with the armrests being replaced with small sinks connected to a large container on each side. Chisaki wordlessly strapped her wrists and ankles to the chair to prevent her from thrashing.

"Chrono, are we ready?" Chisaki asked as his comrade walked over with several surgical tools. Chrono nodded before setting the tools down on a tray beside his boss. Chisaki grabbed a scalpel and cut a deep gash down Eri's arm from elbow to wrist, causing her to scream out in pain as blood poured from the wound and into the sink, "Endure it, Eri. The pain will end when we're done here." As she spoke, the wound began to close all on its own, a side effect of the power of her blood.

Which meant more cuts.

Eri's throat ached from her screams as he continued to slice her open to remove more blood, some of it even getting onto Chisaki's clothes. Pint after pint oozed out from her until she finally began to feel the effects of the blood loss. Her eyes drooped as her brain struggled to make sense of what was going on with only the blinding pain of her arm being constant. She could feel it coming as her body became colder as she became sleepier, eventually passing out from the loss of blood. Death had come again.

She woke up a little while later, no worse for wear, only with the new memories of the latest donation of blood to Chisaki's plan. Chisaki was washing his hands after trashing his blood-stained gloves. His clothes were no longer covered in her blood, no doubt because of his quirk to clean them. He quickly put on a new pair before walking over to Eri. "You've done well today, Eri. I'm proud of you. Thanks to you, we'll be able to save this world," Eri nodded, feeling a slight bit of pride in his words. He needed her to do this to save the world. From what though… she didn't know. Chisaki helped her out of the chair after bandaging her arm up and setting her down on the floor. "Let's take you back. Chrono, I'll leave the set up to you."

"Understood." Eri grabbed Chisaki's hand and walked her out, leading her back to the solitude of her room.

* * *

The students of Class 1-A all stared silently at Eri with various stages of shock and disgust, trying to internalize what the little girl had told them. Even the normally cold and indifferent Todoroki and Bakugou looked on, appalled at the treatment of Eri by this Yakuza boss.

"They did that… to a little girl like her?" Hagakure asked, in complete disbelief. The class looked to Nezu who just solemnly nodded, sadness and pity for Eri etched onto his face. Ochako, shaking with rage, smashed her fist into the armrest next to her, causing it to nearly break beneath her fist as she accidentally activated One For All in anger.

"I want to vomit every time I think about it. What those monsters did to her…" Ochako's voice was a low rumble, unnerving her classmates.

"I think 'monster' might be too kind of a word for him," Tsuyu added, doing a better job at hiding her own anger.

"How about, 'abomination'?" Minoru offered with a smirk, "That sounds better, right?"

"Yeah, those bas… guys were totally unmanly to do that to a kid!" Kirishima shouted, almost forgetting in his disgust not to swear in Eri's presence. Iida cleared his throat before speaking, voice a bit shaky with uncertainty.

"So, you three knew, then?"

"Of course, we did. What, you think he wouldn't tell us?" Minoru asked, sass in his voice.

"Though, we didn't find out until last November. We knew that he had helped Eri, we just were never told how or from what," Tsu clarified, "The most we were ever told is that he found Eri alone one day and rescued her from the streets."

"So, he lied?" Todoroki pointed out, "He lied to his so-called friends to protect himself."

"...Yeah and we've told him off for it, but it's not the point here," Ochako countered, "We want you all to understand why we believe in him." The class looked at her apprehensively. They were a bit wary of the fact that Izuku was willing to lie just to protect himself from himself. Yaoyarozu, the class deputy, figured it was a good time to ask the obvious question.

"Why did they want Eri's blood? Because it could heal?" Tsuyu motioned Eri to continue, hoping that hearing what happened next would explain and also help with the class's anxiousness.

* * *

Eri lied in her bed, now four months into the experiments. She fiddled with the relatively useless bandages that covered her arms and legs. No matter how deep the cut, her blood would always fix it with no scarring. Even then, when she ran out, her "Dad" would just fix her up, good as new. If only she didn't have to endure the unholy pain she felt every single day, it wouldn't be that bad in her mind. A knock on the door ripped her from her thoughts.

"Hey, Eri! I'm here with a gift from your dad!" Eri looked up at the door and said nothing as it was just another grunt. She lost count of how many were assigned to take care of her. She quietly mused how long this one was going to last…

Last one lasted about a week when they forgot to lock the door and she decided to look for a way out. Didn't work and the grunt was punished. In front of her.

"Eri, this is what happens to people when you don't do what you're told," Chisaki told her before reducing the man to a red stain on the wall. She hasn't had the urge to leave since then, afraid of more people getting killed because of her.

The new grunt walked in carrying a giant doll and set it down on the nightstand. "Here's the doll I was asked to pick up for you. We hope you like it," he said as he walked to the door and exited the room, leaving Eri alone with the doll… and a masked individual standing near the door, Eri nearly screamed in fear but the figure quickly put a finger to the lips of the mask to silence her. As she watched him approach her slowly and kneeled down by her side. She wanted to run away, get out of there as fast as she could but her body wouldn't listen, too petrified by the masked stranger.

"Don't be scared. Everything will be okay," the stranger tried to reassure her, allowing her to figure out that they were a boy. The voice was so gentle with her and unlike everyone else, she didn't get the same feeling of it being fake. Like how her mom and dad used to talk to her before she was given away. It was warm and comforting.

The feeling that the boy was going to die… less so.

"You can't be here. If he finds you, he'll kill you," She wanted the boy to run. To get away from this place so he didn't end up like everyone else that Chisaki killed. Turned to nothing but blood.

"Who, Overhaul?" she nodded quickly but her body locked up as the boy touched her bandaged arm and examined it, "What happened to you?" Eri was hesitant to talk about it but then figured it probably wouldn't matter anyway.

"Daddy has to take my blood so that he can clean the world," The words she recited from all the times Chisaki had told her that this was for the good of the world. That it would help everyone.

"Clean the world?" The boy sounded confused, unsure of what it was that Eri was saying. To be fair, neither did she as asking for explanations beyond that was frowned upon.

"Though when he takes too much, he has to take me apart and put me back together again," It sounded innocent enough for her since she always came out the other side fine but the boy started shaking a little. She couldn't see his eyes but she could tell he was upset.

"..." The boy said nothing and simply looked to the door for a second, as if he could hear someone coming, something Eri herself couldn't.

"Sorry about this, but I need you to stay where I send you and don't move. I'll be there soon," Eri looked at him as if he was speaking in a foreign language.

'_Stay where I send you? What does that mea-'_ She wasn't able to contemplate his words any longer as she felt a strange force pull her up and set her back down, ending with her on a patch of cold, hard concrete. She looked around and saw sunlight peeking out through one of the open windows near the top of the building she was in. Unfortunately, the light wasn't enough to really illuminate her surroundings, leaving her in almost pitch darkness. She stood up and was about to walk around but the boy's words echoed in his head to stay put.

***Pop*** Eri jumped at the sound and quickly looked around to see what made it. However, due to the lack of light, whatever made the noise was invisible to her and that just made her start to shake with fear. She shut her eyes and waited. Waited for something to happen but it never did. She opened her eyes again and wondered if the pop was just her imagination.

***Pop*** Turns out nope. A second pop, this time just to her right, occurred and with it, the masked boy appeared. Eri couldn't help but cry out in surprise at the sudden appearance of the boy, causing the boy himself to jump back. Was it the same as the power that let Chisaki take people apart? That he can just appear out of nowhere and move her too? She looked at the looming figure, shaking with fear of what the boy was going to do to her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Calm down," He quickly stepped away from her and got to a knee to make himself smaller, "I'm not going to hurt you." His words seemed genuine to the girl but she could only think to move backwards when the boy held his hand out to her. She only stopped when her back hit a wooden crate. The boy sighed and dropped his hand. He looked at the ground for a moment before realizing he still had his mask on. Finally, after removing the mask and hood, Eri could finally see the boy's face.

And he looked just like any other kid. He gave the warmest smile he could, "I won't let Overhaul hurt you anymore and I won't let him kill me either. I am here to help you so please let me." Eri let out a small gasp at his words. They were said so confidently that even she started to believe them. No more pain? No more being locked underground? No more death? These were what he was promising him and she wanted so desperately to get away from all of it. Tears formed in her eyes as all the fear of the boy fled her and she ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him and digging her finger into his hoodie to keep him there. She could feel two warm arms gently hug her, one of which soothingly ran up and down her back. She felt safe here. Like all the horror of living with Chisaki was now over. "There, there, it's going to be alright-"

The boy stopped talking before turning towards the door, surprising Eri as she was picked up and carried to the door. She wasn't sure what was happening but she could just barely make out Chisaki's voice. He was here. He knew where she was and was coming for her. She buried herself into his shoulder for protection before the boy quickly ran back to the crate.

"Eri, I'm sorry to leave you alone again but I need to take care of something. I need you to stay in this crate and not make a single noise, no matter what. Do you understand?" He tried to put her in but she just held on tighter. No, she couldn't let him go. She knew that if he left, he would die.

"Please… don't go…" Eri cried as she desperately tried to hang on, only for the pulling from earlier to reappear, causing her to fall into the packing peanuts in the crate. She poked her head out from the crate to see the boy give a confident smile.

"Don't worry, I only need to take care of one thing and then we'll be out of here and safe from Overhaul. They won't hurt you anymore now that I am here!" As terrifying as Chisaki was… this boy's smile told her that he could do this. That he would win and that she would no longer have to be subjected to the same pain day in and day out. The lid of the crate was placed on top, shrouding her in darkness again. She waited silently in the dark crate for him to return, listening for any sign of the boy. She heard a metal door open and a few sets of footsteps.

"See anything, Shin?"

"A lot of nothing, I'm afraid…" She didn't recognize anyone named Shin but her thoughts were cut off as they continued to talk, "There's a lot of packing peanuts on the ground. She must be in one of those crates." Eri stopped breathing as they already knew where she was. Before she could even think of trying to hide under the peanuts, the lid was ripped off and she was once again brought face-to-face with Chisaki. And he was not happy with her. While the lower half of his face was covered, his eyes still bored into hers, striking terror into her as she stared into his rage-filled eyes. He reached in, grabbed her by the back of her gown and lifted right out of the box.

"Eri, you will tell me how you managed to get out. You know what happens when you make me have to go into filthy places like thi-" Eri felt the pulling sensation again and was lifted out of Chisaki's hands and into the green-haired stranger's. She was then immediately warped away again, this time landing on a nice, soft bed. She quickly looked around the room that was slightly illuminated by a lamp of a muscular man that she was familiar with but didn't really know who he was. Though, whoever he was, the boy was clearly his biggest fan as merch of his lined the wall, the shelves, even the bed had a blanket of this beast of a man with a smile as bright as the sun. Eri didn't know why, but she felt… safe here. Being surrounded by this smiling man filled her with a sense of security, just like how that boy did.

The boy. He saved her again and she was so happy about that but now… now she didn't know if _he_ was okay. Not to mention the fact that they found her the first time, what's stopping them from finding her again? The feeling of dread consumed her for the minutes she waited, before hearing a sound that nearly caused her to cry with relief.

***Pop*** The boy warped in, completely unharmed. He stood up and took his hood and mask off again before letting out the mother of all sighs.

"That… was too close…" Eri's tears filled her eyes again as she jumped off the bed and hugged her savior. The boy that rescued her from that horrible life. Her hero.

"Haha, looks like I've kept you waiting," He kneeled down and returned the hug, "I'm sorry about that, Eri but you don't have to worry about them anymore. I took care of the guy that was tracking you so Overhaul will never find us again," The words caused all sense of restraint to fly out the window. She cried and cried hard into his chest, the feeling of relief overwhelming the poor girl. Eri held on for dear life for a good while before she finally calmed down, finally getting the chance to ask.

"Um… what's your name again?" The boy's warm smile faded a bit as the question suddenly struck him, causing him to bashfully scratch his cheek.

"Oh, I guess I never told you that, huh. My name is Seigo. Seigo Saichirou."

* * *

"Seigo, huh?" Aoyama commented, "A name with a variety of meanings. Depending on the kanji, it could mean, 'pure me' or 'subjugate me'," The class all turned to look at the blond pretty boy.

"Why do you know that?" Sero asked, bewildered.

"My mother taught me calligraphy and one of the important factors for it is not only _how_ you write, it's the meaning of _what _you write," He explained with a proud grin, "Understanding kanji on an expansive level will allow you to-"

"We get it, you're a regular poet, moving on!" Ashido interjected before the sparkle boy could go on for much longer, causing his eye to start twitching in irritation.

"So, Midoriya, without knowing why Overhaul needed Eri's blood, just decided to save her because of the bandages on her arms?" Tokoyami inquired, making sure he understood what was being said.

"Well, it was more the fear she had for Overhaul that he decided to get her out, feeling she would be better off anywhere that wasn't there…" Minoru clarified, before getting an upset look on this face, "Until he actually found out what his plan was."

"Which was?" The four all turned to Nezu, checking to see if disclosing what Eri's blood could do would be okay.

"We're this far into the story now," Nezu noted with a smile, "However, I do want to point out that everything involving Eri's blood is, _under no circumstances_, allowed to leave this room. If it does, I'm bringing in my lie-detector and having him question all of you… and immediately expelling the culprit." Nezu threatened, causing them all to gulp in fear, "I already have enough problems getting the government to lay off of her due to the potential of it. I do _not_ need you all making it worse." The class nodded before returning to Eri and co., with Minoru deciding to explain.

"Eri's quirk is called Rewind. It allows her to rewind a person to a previous state but how it does this is what makes it really dangerous in someone like Overhaul's hands. Eri could either de-age you… or de-evolve you." The class went silent as they contemplated what Minoru was implying.

"His plan was to create special bullets made of Eri's blood with the sole goal of destroying a person's quirk, turning them quirkless."

"Making someone quirkless? She can do that?" Sato asked.

"That's… insane…" Ojiro shook his head in denial at how incredible that was.

"There's no way… right?" Kaminari looked around, hoping it was some kind of joke.

"And yet, completely true," Nezu added, "Her quirk is unlike any I've seen before in terms of how upending of the status quo it is. The only thing that could rival it would be the first quirks to ever exist."

"That's the reason he decided to take care of her since then," Ochako explained, "He was afraid that taking her to the police was just going to result in _them_ using her to wipe out villains." The class went silent for a moment before Iida spoke up.

"I understand why Midoriya would do something like try and save Eri and I understand that he's not a bad person despite his actions as a thief. But it doesn't really change the fact that he still did all those things."

"Which is why he's here, trying to make up for them," Ochako immediately fired back, "He's not just here to be a hero because Nezu asked him, he's here because he wants to help."

"I hear you say that but there's one thing I want right now," Iida replied, "I wish to speak with Midoriya himself. While I understand that he's done a lot for you four and even his actions at the entrance exam show me that he's truly capable of being a hero, I still want to talk with him directly about all this. Only then do I believe we can make an informed decision about his future as our classmate."

"I agree wholeheartedly!" Nezu cheered, "I needed to head for the hospital anyway so I'd be more than happy to send him back here as soon as possible."

"Please do, Principal Nezu," Tsuyu approved, "Izu deserves the right to say something here."

"Very well! If you'll excuse me then," Nezu got up from his seat and left the dorm, leaving the class alone again.

"We should probably keep going while we wait for Midoriya to arrive," Shoji recommended, "I'll admit I'm curious as to not just Eri but also why you three believe in him so much," Eri nodded and continued.

* * *

"Let's see… we can't have you going out looking like that," Seigo noted, examining Eri's white hospital gown, "I'll have to get you some new clothes…" He also took a look around the room and noticed that there was only one bed in the storage unit, "And your own bed would be a good idea."

"So, I'll be staying with you now?"

"Well, I'll leave the choice up to you. I personally think you'll be safer with me since… I don't trust the police to not pull the same stunt that Overhaul was doing." Eri nodded with understanding, "However, if you don't want to stay here, I could take you to an orphanage or something," Eri looked at her feet and thought about it. But then she realized she didn't have a clue what an orphanage was.

"Um… 'or-fan-nage'?" Seigo scratched his head before explaining.

"It's a place for children who have no parents to live. How old are you?"

"I'm four," Seigo shook his head with a sigh, looking at her with sympathy.

"Wow, that's young…" A small ding came from Seigo's pocket, causing him to pull out a phone, "Ah, looks like he's home right now."

"What's going on?"

"We're going to meet a friend of mine to make you some new clothes," Seigo informed her with a warm smile, "He might be a little... weird... at times but he's a good friend of mine." Eri nodded after a moment and took Seigo's hand, allowing him to warp them in front of an apartment building.

"Ow…" Eri looked down on the ground and noticed she landed on a pebble, going into her uncovered feet.

"Oh, crap, sorry!" Seigo quickly picked her up off the ground to carry her, "I forgot you're not wearing shoes." He quickly checked her feet for injury but sighed when there was none. Eri was happy that he seemed worried for her safety, "Looks like you didn't get cut at least. Come on, I'll introduce you to Minoru." The two walked up to the third floor and knocked on the last door on the floor. After a moment of silence, Eri could hear footsteps coming to the door. When it opened, she saw no one.

"Oh hey, Sei, what's up…" Eri looked down to see the voice of Minoru, staring at her with a look of complete confusion that quickly morphed into annoyance as he looked to Seigo for answers, "Okay, what did you do _this_ time?" Seigo chuckled nervously at the question.

"Eheheheh… I just happened to pick her up off the streets," Minoru looked at her with a skeptical look but decided to drop it.

"Fine, whatever. But I'm not letting this slide later," Minoru warned as he stepped aside to let the two in.

"I promise, I have a good explanation."

"Uh huh, and I'm All Might next sidekick," Minoru snarked as he closed the door and led the two to the living room, TV tuned to a movie that Seigo didn't recognize. He set Eri down on the couch with Minoru taking a seat in a recliner. "So, what's up?"

"I need clothes for Eri here," Minoru looked over at Eri and noted the hospital gown she was wearing… and how clean it was. Not the sort of thing found on homeless kids.

"So, her name's Eri?" Minoru smiled as best he could, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Eri. I'm Minoru, Seigo's best friend and self-designated wingman."

"Wingman?" Eri asked innocently.

"I'll explain when you're older."

"Sure, but you're paying for the fabric like always," Seigo nodded at the terms, causing Minoru to hop out of the chair and grab a strip of measuring tape. "Let's get started then." Seigo helped Eri to the floor but as Minoru got close, she hid behind Seigo's leg, causing him to snicker.

"She's got trust issues."

"Yeah, no kidding," Minoru snarked with a smile before he handed Seigo the tape instead, "Since she likes you so much, you do it. I need to figure out what to design anyway."

"Just remember that she's four-"

"Yeah, I know! I'm not _that_ big a perv!" Minoru argued as he left the room.

"You're right, he is weird," Eri noted, causing Seigo to start laughing.

"Well said. All right, arms up like this…"

* * *

"You sew?" Kaminari said with a snicker, with Minoru looking less than amused.

"Shut it. I'm allowed to have a hobby," a few other members of the class started to chuckle at the purple boy's expense.

* * *

Eri was on the couch watching at the TV as an interview with the giant muscle man was playing. She finally learned the name of the man as "All Might" and that he was the "Number One Hero" and "Symbol of Peace" ...whatever that meant. She finished getting her measurements and Seigo was in the nearby kitchen making her something to eat. It was true she was hungry, especially after how crazy the day had started. With her rescue as well as knowing that her time with her "Dad" was finally over, Eri relaxed into the couch cushions, happy to escape that horrible life. Though she wondered what this new one had in store for her. The boy, Seigo, had been nothing but kind to her and even agreed to take care of her, she wasn't sure how long he would want her around. As she thought about it, Seigo walked into the living room, holding a plate with small ham sandwiches, some apple slices, and a glass of milk.

"Here you go," Seigo offered with a cheerful smile, "It's a bit simple but Minoru's mom hadn't gone grocery shopping so we're light on options." Eri took the plate and stared at it as Seigo went and grabbed his plate and glass to eat with her. She thought over what she wanted to say as she waited for him to return. He sat down beside her and watched the interview, watching All Might talk about some promotion thing she didn't really understand. Something about a charity.

"What's wrong?" Eri looked up at Seigo who was gazing at her with worry, "You don't like it?"

"Why do you want me to stay with you?" The question surprised Seigo but he just kind of smiled at it.

"Let me guess, you think I'm afraid of you?"

"I made my dad disappear… I don't want to hurt anyone again," Eri's eyes filled with tears as she feared for the worst thing that could happen. She didn't want to make him disappear too. Seigo sighed and placed a hand on her head.

"Look, I know a thing or two about what you're going through. I was literally used by a supervillain to be made into a weapon. I struggle every day with the knowledge that I could hurt someone with no effort. But you know what? I don't let it get me down. I do everything I can to control the power I have so it can never harm someone unless I need it too. I might not be a good teacher but I'll do everything I can to help you with your quirk so you never have to be afraid again." With the last part he ruffled her hair and gave a comforting smile, calming her down.

"...Thank you…"

"You're welcome,"

"You two are cute together." The two turned to look at Minoru who arrived with a shirt and pants, "If it wasn't for the hair, you'd almost pass for brother and sister."

"I don't know about that…" Seigo bashfully stated, though Eri thought about it for a good second. She never had a brother so she wasn't sure what that was.

"What's a 'brother'?"

"Wow, talk about sheltered," Minoru commented with a sigh, "Well… Technically a brother is any guy who shares the same parents but it's a bit broader than that. I would describe it as a boy who's always got your back and is looking out for you. Kinda like how Seigo is for me. I can always count on him to have my back, just like how he can count on me to have is. A sister is just a girl version of that."

"Even if I'm the one doing most of the work."

"You're the brawn, I'll be the brains."

"So, a brother and sister are family?"

"Yeah, exactly. Though, family isn't just someone you're related to. I'd call Seigo here family in a heartbeat."

"...Does that make me and you family?" Eri asked Seigo, catching him off guard. He quickly flashed her another smile at the thought.

"If you'd like, you can be my little sister. I wouldn't mind that at all,"

"Sister..." Eri felt her heart beat skip at the thought of having this warm boy be her brother. Her family.

"Then I guess that makes her 'Eri Saichirou' now, huh?" Minoru mused. The name sounded so nice to her; she couldn't help but give the smallest of smiles.

"Eri Saichirou… It's nice. I like it," Seigo and Minoru gave approving smiles as the name sunk in. This was who she was now. Eri Saichirou, little sister of Seigo Saichirou.

"Then we're brother and sister from now on!" Seigo affectionately pat Eri on the head again, a gesture she was growing to love as she leaned into it.

"Alright, after you finish eating, I'd like you to try these on. I need to make sure they fit right or if they need to be adjusted." Eri nodded as Minoru left the clothes on the armrest of the couch and returned to his work. Eri bit into the apple slice and was surprised by the sweetness.

"It's so sweet…"

"Is that bad?"

"No… it's good. I want some more," Eri said as she bit into more of the apple slices, slowly picking up speed with each bite to get more of that delicious sweetness.

* * *

The class continued to listen, as Eri finished her story. Everyone in the room was unsure of what to think anymore. While it's true that Midoriya would go out of his way to help others and was a friendly guy, they'd all been told since they were kids that criminals, regardless of the crime, were bad news. Then the imagines of Midoriya brutally slaying the Nomus, the blood, the bottomless rage on his face, it became hard to believe they were the same person. As they all struggled with the conflict between what they were taught and reality, Eri continued to talk.

"Since then, Bro's always been there for me. He's cared for me, kept me safe, even taught me so many different things about the world. I didn't even know how to read before he saved me," she stated with confidence, her determination showed through her face as she glared at everyone, "I don't care that you guys are afraid of him. I'm Eri Midoriya and I won't let you insult my brother anymore!"

"Eri…" Ochako mumbled, touched by her will, "The same goes for me, Tsu, and Minoru. Izu's been nothing but kind and a genuine friend to us. He makes mistakes,"

"Good god, does he ever make mistakes," Minoru interjected, with Tsuyu nodding in agreement.

"Seriously."

"But even so, he's willing to make up for them and put his past behind him and become someone that people can count on. We understand that you guys are unsure of him, but as far as we're concerned, he's just as much a hero as any of the pros out there."

"Yep," Minoru nodded.

"Absolutely,"

"I guess all that remains," Todoroki began, voice missing the abrasiveness it once had, "Is to wait for Midoriya now."

"Let's take a break while we wait," Yaoyarozu suggested, "Our families are probably worried about us and we should probably reassure them that we're all fine. We'll reconvene when Midoriya returns." The class nodded as they all dispersed, leaving Iida, Ochako, Minoru, Tsuyu and Eri alone.

"Not going to call your parents, Iida?" Tsuyu inquired.

"They already know I'm fine. I called them earlier after I was questioned by the detective. I was just wondering how you three met Midoriya," the three looked at him,

curious of his reasons. "It's clear that you all think highly of him bit I'd like to know your experiences with him." The three exchanged glances. Minoru scratched his head before answering.

"Well, sure, if you want to know…"

* * *

**A/N: 8/5/20: So sorry that there's no chapter this week but I haven't gotten it to a point I'm satisfied with. I'm also feeling like I'm suffering from a bout of burnout due from the sheer length of this story far exceeding any of my previous endeavors and I'm not used to it. I've especially noticed it with previous chapters. Don't worry, I'm fine physically but considering the importance of the next chapter, I don't want to release a rushed and forced out product. **

**I just wanted to inform anyone who might be concerned due to me missing the first deadline in... 8-9 months? I noticed that people start getting worried when you miss an update, ESPECIALLY during times like these when you're an American. **

**I'm also need to rework my notes, especially the chapter plans considering how far off script I've gone with certain things. I've decided that I'll take all of August off and come back, refreshed during the first Wednesday of September which is... the 2nd by the looks of things. I'll work on Ch. 18 when I can so that it's as good as it can be by then. So, we'll resume then. Sorry for the impromptu nature of this all but... well, life be like that.**

**P.S. if anyone's wondering, no, I don't do chapters that are literally just an A/N, even if the message would get to people faster. This is just for those that are curious why there's no update today.**

* * *

**A/N:**** A bit late… and a bit shorter than I hoped but this is fine for now… I guess. **

**I chose to reshow the scene from chapters 4 and 5 to show you it from Eri's perspective and how the events drew her to Izuku. Though I wanted to show them in a few more scenes together, I realized that it wasn't too necessary and just dragged out this chapter. Eri tasting ice cream for the first time is cute and all but it's not exactly important.**

**Also, before anyone asks, the first pop was Seigo's shadow double. It's been a while since chapter 4 and I was worried someone may have forgotten that Seigo sent the shadow to keep an eye on Eri in case he took too long at Chisaki's base.**

**Reviews:**

**Flumerfelt92: Well, conflict is the major driver of all storytelling and the easiest method of creating it is to threaten someone's dreams. Though I won't lie and say that it's a bit too easy to go overboard with it. Anyway, I'm glad you loved it!**

**ProjectIceman: And there's going to be more… eventually. That's what happens when you use In Medias Res. I'm trying to space this stuff out so we have a mixture of story progression and explanation of everyone's relations to each other. Next one won't be for a good while though, despite how this chapter ended. You've seen Tsuyu's already, Minoru's is next, with Ochako's being last. Regarding Minoru, I'm trying to show his loyalty towards Izuku and how that loyalty can give him the courage to stand up to others, even if they're capable of completely destroying him.**

**Ryder: According to my Switch, I've logged 245 hours into that game, just to get all four endings and the DLC story. I think I might have a problem. Although I'm surprised the Hapi reference was the first one called out. Ch. 15 had a Persona 4 reference and no one said anything.**

**H001: I think you're exaggerating but I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**OgFrosty: Well, I know they won't see this but I'd still like to thank them for stopping by. At least they tried it and told me what their issue with the story was which is a hell of a lot more feedback than I get from most of the people that have stopped reading. But I will say this to everyone, there is a reason beyond just being different that I brought Inko to U.A. Even if you won't see its payoff till much later.**

**Next Chapter: Hospital visits and the polls are open.**

**Till next time, Sal out.**


	18. Ch 18: What Am I?

**Ch. 18: What Am I?**

Yaoyarozu sighed as she exited her room with a tired look on her face. The day just didn't seem to end and felt even longer after having to reassure her parents that yes, she's fine and that there was nothing to worry about. The heroes took care of them and the villains were stopped. Though, she didn't like hiding it from her parents, she kept all of the important bits to herself. She looked at the time on her phone.

'_That took forty minutes? Did I miss anything?' _

"Come on, Jirou, we want to talk with you!" Yaoyarozu looked to her neighbor Jirou's room to see Mina and Toru outside her door.

"Yeah, we just want to help." Silence was all that they got in response.

"I think it would be best to leave her be for now," Yaoyarozu said as she walked up to the two, "If we have to, I'll go get the Hound Dog and see if he can help."

"But seeing Jirou like this is just-"

"Hey, girls!" The three turned to see Kaminari walking up to them with an exhausted smile.

"Ah, are you all done?"

"Well, I went and talked with the guys like you asked me too and I got… mostly positive responses."

"Hmm, not as bad as I thought."

"Um, hey, care to fill in the two other people in the room?" Mina said with a wave of her hand between the two.

"Ah, of course," Yaoyarozu cleared her throat before continuing, "I had Kaminari here talk to all of the boys in the class to gauge what the vote will look like."

"So, what side are you two on?"

"We're all in for Midoriya staying," Kaminari said with a nod, "I mean, Bakugou literally tried blowing him up and he's still here. Midoriya only protected us. I think he deserves a chance at least."

"I agree, though I can't help but feel a bit on edge after seeing that quirk of his," Mina scratched her cheek as she spoke, "Or how quick he was to kill those things."

"Yeah, it almost felt like a completely different person from what I've seen and heard…" Toru rubbed her arm nervously while Yaoyarozu started to think about what Toru said.

'_A completely different person? Hmm… his quirks were stolen from others so... No, that's silly,'_ Yaoyarozu shook her head before turning back to Kaminari, "Did anything the others say stick out?"

"Well…"

* * *

"_Sero, Sato, Tokoyami, and Shoji were the most supportive,"_ Kaminari found the four sitting in Shoji's nearly empty room. The guy had no decorations: just a bed, a desk, a computer and a small table.

"I don't know the guy well but if the principal and All Might think he's a good guy, I'm not gonna argue," Sero said with a shrug.

"I respect the strength he's got so it's best he's using it to fight on our side. I'm just hoping he finds a way to control it. He'd be more reliable that way. I'll vote for him." Sato crossed his arms as he answered.

"His power is indeed great but he used it to stop the villains and protect our classmates. He may be dangerous but we all are, more or less. He should get a chance."

"I've never been one to focus on someone's past. His past is the past and it's what he does now that matters."

"_Ojiro seemed to be completely behind him too."_

"He helped Kirishima figure out a way to beat his rival in 1-B without asking for anything in return. He just did it because he was asked for help. I don't think it's him that's the problem. It's that power of his. I'll trust the teachers to help him and I'll do what I can to help too, if I can."

"_Koda was… awkward…"_

"Koda, do you think Midoriya should stay?" Kaminari asked, as Koda hid behind his door, only watching his classmate through a small crack between door and frame.

"..."

"Hey, it's okay, buddy. I'm not gonna judge your answer. I think he should stay, what about you?"

"..."

"You want me to come back later?" The door shut in Kaminari's face, leaving him empty-handed. He waited for about a minute before he sighed as he scratched his head and almost moved on to the next room before the door opened and he was handed a note.

"_Midoriya scares me but I also feel bad for him. He never asked to be what he is and yet, we're all judging him on his record, his quirks, his relation with those villains. I want to believe in him so I'll give him a chance… If he doesn't use that power again with me around, thanks."_ Kaminari smiled at the note and gave his classmate a thumbs up.

"I'll be sure to let Midoriya know how you feel," Koda nodded as he shut the door again.

"_Then… came Kirishima and Bakugou…"_

"_That bad?"_

"_No, actually."_

"Wait, you're actually voting for him to stay?!" Kirishima shouted in surprise with a wide grin, "You almost blew him up in training!"

"Before, I was suspicious that he was a plant from the villains who gave him his quirks. Him being a total nerd and trying to learn everything about us only made it worse. But, in this case, I'll admit that I had it wrong. Not only is he not a mole, he wants that asshole and the rest of them dead," Bakugou was going over his homework, barely looking at the two in the room. His voice was straining to keep calm as if his rage was bubbling over and he didn't want to risk making a scene, "However, this doesn't change the fact that he's a lying bastard who held himself back because he wanted to embarrass me. He used that quirk on me during training and then had the balls to lie to the whole class that he couldn't get near me when he could've ended that fight at any time."

"Wait, he used it then, too?"

"After the blast," Bakugou turned in his chair to look at Kaminari, "Tell Miss Honor Student I've got unfinished business with him and I'm not letting him leave this class until I've proven that I can beat him, all out, both sides, no. holding. back." Bakugou turned back to his homework, writing feverishly.

"Midoriya helped me with my training so I owe him one. I feel this'll make us even," Kirishima gave a nod, one that Kaminari returned.

"_That leaves Todoroki and Iida,"_

"_Iida's downstairs with Minoru and the girls. I think he's trying to learn more about how they became friends with Midoriya. As for Todoroki…"_

***Knock* *Knock* *Knock***

Kaminari knocked on the door and waited patiently for Todoroki to open up after five seconds.

"What? Did you need something," Todoroki's voice was a low monotone, though even Kaminari could tell he wasn't in a good mood by his eyes.

"Yaoyarozu asked me to check on everyone and see how they're feeling about Midoriya and what happened," Todoroki's eyebrow raised slightly for only a moment, so much so that Kaminari thought it was just a twitch.

"I've got nothing I really want to say to you on the matter."

"It's between you and Midoriya in your mind, then? Even though this affects all of us?"

"What I'm going to say to him is between me and him. Nothing more. You're free to vote however you like. I don't care. But, as a matter of principle, I can't trust someone who's willing to lie just to protect an image that isn't who he really is," Before Kaminari could respond, the door was quickly shut in his face, leaving him with more questions than answers.

* * *

"If what you're saying is true then Midoriya has all the votes he needs to stay," Yaoyarozu put a hand to her chin as she spoke as she realized how heavily favored Midoriya was.

"Right now, he does," Kaminari ruffled his hair a little as he thought about Todoroki's words, "I'm just worried about what Todoroki will say and how everyone will react to it."

"He's not exactly wrong in a way," Mina argued, "Midoriya hasn't been completely honest about what he could do."

"His past isn't our business but I think him having a quirk that turns him psychotic does count as our business," Toru added.

"Still, it doesn't change the fact that he saved our lives first and tried his best to protect us. That, at least, is worth something." Yaoyarozu countered. As the group was discussing, Jirou's door opened swiftly, much to their surprise.

"Can you guys keep it down. I'm trying to work here," Jirou, looking very annoyed, demanded.

"Jirou!" Mina and Toru immediately tried to hug the girl before she dodged them both, causing them to crash into each other and fall to the floor.

"Don't hug me. Though I guess I was worrying you guys for a while there."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Momo, thanks. I just… never felt that sure I was going to die before. It… It was something." She handed the deputy a drawing. It was of a red-haired boy screaming to the heavens in rage in the rain with the only light being the glow of the boy and the lightning that cracked the sky. Kaminari and the two fallen girls all gathered around to look at it.

"Is that supposed to be Midoriya?"

"That's… badass looking for sure…"

"He looks like he's about to declare war on nature itself." Jirou snickered a little at the observations.

"I'll admit, seeing him in action was metal as hell," Her smile faded as her face became more serious, "It was scary, no doubt about that but after thinking about it, Midoriya was nothing but gentle and made sure not to hurt us."

"Gentle? He picked me up by my collar."

"And set you back down instead of throwing you over the horizon for trying to electrocute him," said Yaoyarozu, causing Kaminari to concede the point.

"I think we can at least try to have faith in him, massive power be damned. After all, our teacher is _Aizawa_. The guy who straight up admitted he was judging who to throw out before school even started. And yet, Midoriya, with a criminal record and uncontrolled power, is still here. If that isn't a sign of faith, I don't know what is."

"Sounds like Midoriya's staying then?"

"Unless something bad happens, then it looks that way."

"Yaomomo, why'd you have to jinx it like that?"

* * *

"What do you mean it had no pulse?" Naomasa asked as he drove down to the hospital where Midoriya was being monitored.

"_It's the damnedest thing too,"_ The caller on the other line, a special physician for only the most dangerous of criminals, replied, _"When it's just standing still, waiting for orders, the heart just… stops. Either that, or it becomes so subtle that even modern technology can't detect it. No breathing too. It's like it goes into shutdown. Then it receives orders and it kicks back on again, almost as if blood and air aren't really a requirement for these things. In essence, they are an affront to everything we know about physiology. I'm almost positive it's the result of a quirk of some kind."_ Tsukauchi stared at the red light he was waiting on as he internalized the info.

'_What kind of quirk allows something like that? To live without a pulse…Just how did All For One make these things?' _"But apparently, it still needs its brain."

"_Well, of course. Muscles need electric signals from the brain to move and if you don't have it connected, they're not going to move on their own. Not unless they have a way to have the brain transmit powerful signals remotely."_

'_If he can make what is ostensibly a zombie, why not a headless one?'_ Naomasa snarked in his head, wondering what other projects the League of Villains may have for them, "Well, thanks, Doc. Keep working as much as you can. We need as much info as we can on these guys."

"_Well, we're still waiting on the blood results so it might be awhile before we have anything new."_

"Keep us posted," Naomasa hung up as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. Musutafu General Hospital. He quickly parked the car and briskly walked through the front doors to find Inko Midoriya at the front desk.

"I'm his mother and I'm not allowed to see him?" She inquired, voice carrying a hint of danger as her worry and anger boiled over.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but no civilians are allowed in the quirk wing," Naomasa walked up and presented his badge to the receptionist.

"Detective Tsukauchi, I'm here to visit Izuku Midoriya," He turned to Inko, "And it's alright, she's with me." The receptionist nodded and handed him a keycard.

"Understood, Detective. Midoriya is in Room S04."

"Thank you," Naomasa tipped his hat before motioning for Inko to follow as he walked through the lobby.

"Thank you, detective," The stout mother said with an appreciative smile as she hurried to catch up with him.

"Sorry about that. They're just following orders," he said with a chuckle.

"It's fine. As long as I get to see my son, it's not a problem." As Inko followed Naomasa, she began to notice the hallway they were walking down had no rooms at all and a lone door at the end. "What is the 'quirk wing'?"

"It's a wing of the hospital designed to treat individuals with issues caused by their quirks. Some quirks are too dangerous to take care of near the normal patients like if they had a gas quirk of some kind like Midnight's." As he spoke, the two reached the end of the hallway. He pulled out the keycard as swiped it, getting a green light and a loud *thunk* from the door unlocking, "Usually only pro heroes, police and specially trained doctors are allowed beyond this point for safety reasons but we can ignore that for now."

"They don't keep criminals here, do they?" Inko asked as they walked in and immediately saw Vlad King standing down the hall talking to Tamakawa outside of what looked like a sealed bunker.

'_As if that would hold what was inside,'_ Naomasa thought as he looked at the room, "No, we have a separate hospital for them. Can't have them anywhere near civilians after all." Naomasa answered as the two walked up to the officer and pro.

"Detective," Vlad greeted, "Mrs. Midoriya."

"Hello again." Inko greeted him with the best smile she could.

"How is he?" Tamakawa scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well… he's awake again…" Naomasa raised an eyebrow at his subordinate's hesitation and the stoic look on Vlad's face as he looked anywhere else didn't help matters.

"I'm sensing a 'but'."

"But… well, maybe you should just go in and see for yourself," Inko nodded and opened the door slowly.

"Izuku, honey?" She peered her head in to see her son sitting on the edge of his bed facing a window, only to hear muffled crying. Motherly instincts kicking in, she quickly opened the door to check on her son, causing him to quickly turn around in surprise. Eyes red, with tears running down his cheeks, Izuku quickly rubbed his eyes with the ruined remains of his hero costume.

"Mom…" Before Izuku could continue, arms quickly pulled him into an embrace as his mother seemed to speed across the room to get to him faster, "Oh, honey, are you okay?"

"Um… No… No, not really," Izuku admitted, not returning the hug but just going limp in her arms. "I… I lost control again and… I killed someone…"

"Oh, but it wasn't your fault that they attacked the school!" Inko reminded him but he just shook his head as he gently pushed out of the hug, "It was self-defense, right?" she looked to Naomasa who nodded.

"Legally speaking, yes, though it's debatable if they can even be considered alive anymore," Midoriya turned to look at Naomasa in confusion as he filled them in on what the physician had told him on the way in.

"Layman's terms, they were dead before they even arrived at U.A., is that right?" Vlad scratched his chin.

"That's not all that bothers me," Izuku interrupted, drawing attention to himself, "He called them 'nomus'." Naomasa took a deep breath as he immediately realized what Izuku meant, "Was that what I was supposed to be? A mindless half-dead beast of destruction and murder, created to do nothing but follow the orders of a madman?" Naomasa shook his head as he started to talk,

"Midoriya-"

"Stop," Izuku snapped, voice dripping with anger, "I don't want to hear more 'reassurances' that I'm 'not a monster'," Izuku turned to face Naomasa, frustration and rage in his eyes, "But I saw my classmates look at me like I _was _one. They attacked me because I frightened them. They attacked me because they thought they were next after seeing me destroy an entire crowd of thugs. I remember every impact: the bones shattering beneath my fists, the blood they spat out afterwards, the feeling of their throats between my fingers. They thought I was going to do to them what I did to the League. Then, I cut Shigaraki's hand off and it didn't stop there," Tears began to run down his cheeks as he gripped the bedsheets, "I took that sword I stole from Jirou and drove it into that Nomu's head. I felt the blood splatter onto my hands, I heard the cries of pain from that thing, I still see flashes of watching my body murder that thing and being unable to do anything to stop it. When I killed it, it wasn't enough and I went for Shigaraki. He got away, but I only got angrier. If Mr. Aizawa hadn't stopped me, what would have happened if I ran out of Nomus? Would what happened at Hosu happen again?" The room went silent, unable to answer, "Would I try and attack my classmates, my teachers, anyone who was around, until I ran out of things to kill? If that's not a monster, what is?"

The room sat in still silence, no one moving an inch as Izuku's question hung in the air. Naomasa looked at everyone's faces, trying to decide the best course of action to dissuade Izuku's doubts and help him. Inko was struggling to think of anything to say, Tamakawa seemed lost, and Vlad had his eyes closed, deep in thought.

"Midoriya, would you like to see something?" Everyone turned to look as Vlad 's quirk produced blood out of his gauntlets and surrounded his hand. It quickly solidified into a crimson blade around it, leaving him with a sword attached to his arm, "Most kids are overjoyed to receive their quirk for the first time. I wasn't. The first time I ever activated my quirk, I stabbed myself in the leg." Izuku eyebrows shot up in surprise, "I believe Thirteen told you this already but a lot of quirks can be used to kill."

"Yeah, but this is different! You have a choice! I _didn't_!" _'It was either use it or die because of it. It didn't give me a choice… This whole mess is all this stupid quirk's fault…'_

"Do you think it's that simple in the heat of the moment with lives on the line, you naive fool?" Izuku gasped at the retort, "You're right, we do have a choice, but life isn't so kind as to allow only perfect escapes. Sometimes, it's 'bad' and 'worse'." Izuku's eyes widened as she thought about it, staring at the bed covers.

"The choice was either die or use it. I was still so angry at Shigaraki and All For One for what they did to me and Tai and what they were going to do to my classmates and teachers," Izuku looked up to face Vlad, "But even so, that only happened because I can't control it."

"So, are you just going to run away and be in fear forever, to be a threat to everyone around you? Or are you going to grapple with that fear, every day if that's what it takes, until you _can_ control it?" Izuku stared at Vlad in contemplation as the man continued, "What happened was regrettable, but, instead of shouting blame at yourself or All For One or whoever, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and make sure that it never has to happen again. That you control your actions from now on, not the other way around." Naomasa smiled at the pep talk as Izuku began to relax a little, the words of the pro hero reaching him. An idea suddenly hit him.

"Midoriya, come with me. There's something I want to show you."

* * *

The emergency room was busy as nurses and doctors were quickly rushing up and down the hallways, busy tending to the sick and injured of Musutafu.

"I'm surprised how busy it is," Izuku noted as he almost bumped into a nurse. Vlad King and Tamakawa both had to leave to return to work so it was just Izuku, his mother and the detective now.

"Well, it's not like people don't get injured or ill when you're not looking," Naomasa quipped with a smile, "I wouldn't worry about it." He looked around the wall before finding the room he was looking for, "Room E102. This is the one." Naomasa opened the door to reveal Paranormal, arms in casts and bandages around his forehead, looking very anxious.

"Sis, I'm sorry-" Paranormal weakly apologized as Azurite held the phone on speaker.

"_You're sorry?"_ A very cold and emotionless voice came through the other end, one familiar to Izuku but he couldn't place where he heard it, _"You should be telling mom that so she'll calm down and stop texting me about how you're going to die and she's afraid the same thing will happen to me."_

"Is she _still_ hung up about my career choice?!"

"It's a mother's job to worry," The whole room turned to look at Inko, making her presence known, "The last thing we could ever want is to outlive our children." The three pros immediately took notice of the boy next to her, but to Izuku's surprise, they all flashed him smiles. Not smiles of pity or sympathy but genuine "happy to see you" smiles.

"Oh hey, it's the raging fanboy!" Echobat shouted happily, causing Izuku to blush a little with embarrassment.

"Hey, sis, I've got to call you back. The police are here."

"_That's not what Naomi said,"_ Izuku wondered if that was Echobat's real name as he scratched his head.

"The police are _with_ the fanboy!" Azurite let out a loud chuckle at Paranormal's desperation.

"Okay, Reiko, you can grill him later. We really do need to cut this short," the blonde heroine explained.

'_Reiko?'_

"_Fine, but stop making her worry. Just come talk to me when you get back at U.A,"_

"I will. Love you,"

"_Love you too, bye."_

"That name and voice sounded familiar…" Paranormal raised an eyebrow for a second as he hung up but smiled afterwards.

"Your name's Izuku Midoriya, right?" Izuku nodded at Paranormal's question, "Ha, no wonder. Sis called you a very 'hateful' person when your team stomped her's," Suddenly, all the pieces slotted into place in his head.

"Wait, your sister is Yanagi?"

"Yep. Raahil Yanagi, Pro Hero and terrible son and brother, at your service." He looked down at his casts and laughed, "I'd shake your hand but mine are a little full at the moment." Izuku's face fell as he remembered why Paranormal was there in the first place.

"I'm sorry…"

"Stop that," Raahil ordered without dropping his smile, "This is in no way your fault. I got cocky and got my ass kicked for it. It happens."

"Like pretty much every time we have to train with him. He's a total pushover if there's more than one person to fight," Echobat quipped.

"I keep telling you: I'm a rescue hero, not a fighter," Paranormal whined.

"Be both, you lazy idiot," Azurite scolded, "I shouldn't have to backpack your ass every time a fight breaks out anymore."

Izuku started to chuckle at the three heroes, "This sounds so much like a conversation I'd have with my friends."

"Well, then they're good friends," Echobat said with a smile before Paranormal cleared his throat.

"Seriously though, I owe you one," Izuku quietly gasped at the words, "All Might told us what that guy could've done to me. I don't care if it was only because you wanted to go after that Shigaraki guy, but if you hadn't jumped in when you did, I wouldn't be joking around with my friends. They'd be picking me up with a broom and dustpan and handing me to my mom in an urn. As much as I miss my dad, I'm almost positive he doesn't want to see me right this minute."

"Of course, as heroes, we _technically _have to tell you that you shouldn't have gotten involved since you're unlicensed," Azurite admitted as she and Echobat stood up.

"But, as people, we thank you so much for saving our friend," Echobat and Azurite both bowed their heads in gratitude.

"Y-you don't need to thank-"

"Just accept it, kid. We don't take 'no' for an answer," Paranormal explained with a smile. Izuku scratched his check, embarrassed.

"Um… you're welcome," The two finished bowing and returned to their seats, "So, how much do you guys know?"

"Well, we weren't told anything about you but given the rumors and those cuffs they put on your wrists, we've figured out quite a bit," Azurite explained, "One of the most important tenets of being a pro is good detective work, after all."

"Right…"

"Though, again, it's all assumptions," she added.

"If you ask me, I don't care what your past is or why you're here or what kind of nonsense is going on in the background," Paranormal began, "As far as I'm concerned, I think you've got what it takes to be a great hero someday."

"You think so?"

"I know so. After all, you've already got three believers right here."

"Not to mention me, Eri, and all your friends back at school," Inko reassured with a hug, "No matter what you may think of yourself, or what those people had planned for you, you're my son and that will never change." Izuku finally melted into his mother's warm hug and returned it, smiling.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything." Everyone turned to look at the doorway to see Nezu and the skeleton man himself, Yagi.

"We can come back later if you need a moment."

"N-no, it's fine, really," Izuku said quickly, "What are you two doing here?"

"Ah yes, I should explain…" As Yagi shut the door to keep prying ears away, Nezu quickly informed every one of the current situation involving Class 1-A and U.A., including the vote involving Izuku's status as a member of the class and school being canceled the next day.

"Not gonna lie, I thought they'd be angrier to learn their class rep was secretly a criminal and escaped bioweapon. I thought expulsion would be the least of my worries and that's not even happening."

"Though considering you gave a good scare today, their hesitation is at least understandable."

"Yeah, no doubt. I'm surprised they're not calling for me to be thrown out right now."

"I can only think you have Young Eri and your friends to thank for that. They're trying to get everyone to believe in you as we speak."

"Ha, they really are great friends," Paranormal said with a smile, "Wish these two would go to bat for me like that." Azurite and Echobat smirked at each other.

"We would, but it's hard to justify half the crap you do."

"Like that one time you rigged the toilet with a brown paint bomb." Paranormal just laughed.

"Ah, good memories. That third year had it coming so bad. I didn't even care if I had to clean that bathroom!"

"They sure know how to kill all tension in the room," Yagi noted, earning a chuckle from Nezu.

"That's one of their best qualities," Nezu turned back to Izuku, "So, what do you think?"

"It all makes sense to me but it probably means I won't be staying at 1-A." Izuku's words surprised Nezu, who tilted his head, puzzled.

"What do you mean? By all accounts, I'd say the chances are fairly high for you staying."

"What I mean is this: If a single person votes for me to leave, I'm leaving."

"Wait, you can't be serious!" Paranormal shouted, "You're going to let just one person decide that?!"

"I've already caused the entire class so much trouble already. They'd have to be the toughest people I've ever met to not at least have nightmares about me beheading them in their sleep after what I did," Yagi nodded as he listened.

"You believe that if it isn't unanimous, you'll just cause a rift in the class."

"Oh…" Paranormal calmed down as he understood.

"Right. I mean, if that one vote's Bakugou's… I'm not gonna lose sleep over it but everyone else is a different story. They haven't tried to blow me up yet."

"Do we want to know the context of that?" Echobat whispered to her friends.

"Shh."

"So, when am I returning to campus?"

"As soon as possible, preferably. I'd rather get your situation sorted out as fast as possible." Izuku nodded as he took a deep breath and readied himself.

"Well, no time like the present, I guess. If I don't do it now, I might lose my nerve and have to be dragged into this." Yagi chuckled a little.

"Well said."

"Good luck, kid," Paranormal spoke as the Midoriyas, Yagi and Nezu all walked over to the door,

"We'll be rooting for ya," Echobat added.

"We expect good news when we come back," Azurite finished.

"Thanks, guys, that means a lot/ I think I'll visit tomorrow since I'll need to talk to Aizawa so I'll stop by then." Izuku waved goodbye as he shut the door.

"Speaking of him, I need to get an update on his condition so I'll be staying behind. Yagi, I'll leave it to you. Let me know how the vote goes."

"I'll take care of it, sir," Yagi said with a thumbs up and a wide grin.

As Nezu watched Yagi escort the Midoriya's to be released, Present Mic walked out of the room next to Paranormal's.

"Oh, Principal Nezu! You hear to check on Aizawa too?" Nezu nodded with a smile.

"Him, Thirteen and Paranormal. They're all deserving of my time after all."

"I hear ya. Too bad Aizawa didn't want to hear me. The second I walked in, he asked the doc to load him up with the strongest drugs they could to knock him out. Can you believe he would say that to his best friend?!"

"Are we talking about the same Aizawa?" Back with Yagi and Midoriya, Yagi slyly handed Izuku a note to him, one the boy quickly hid away from his mother to read later.

* * *

Back at the dorms, Iida was busy listening to Minoru's story.

"And that's how I learned to swim." *Pop* All five turned to the door to see Izuku pop in with his mother in tow, handcuffs off his wrists but still in his destroyed costume. Yagi and Inko at his side.

"I'm back from the hospital."

"Ah… Midoriya… Um…" Iida struggled to think of what to say but he wouldn't get much time to find his words.

"BIG BRO!" Eri shouted as she ran into Izuku's arms, being lifted up into a hug.

"Hey, sis, sorry I'm late,"

"You're okay! I heard what happened and…" Izuku could see his sister's teary-eyed look and could only hug her tighter.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm fine. They didn't even scratch me,"

"But your clothes-"

"Are replaceable. Do I look injured to you?"

"No…"

"No. Don't worry, everything will be fine. Just watch," Izuku turned to his classmates, all of whom were smiling.

"Geez, you two are so sweet together you could give me diabetes just looking at you," Minoru said jokingly, earning giggles from Tsu and Ochako.

"I'll get started on dinner. You all must be getting hungry," Inko quickly excused herself.

"Who are you, sir?" Iida asked Yagi, who quickly introduced himself and why he was there. "All Might's secretary? I wasn't aware he had one."

"I prefer it that way. It lets me walk around in the daytime without being accosted by his fans every minute," Yagi said with a smile.

"Ah," Iida nodded before returning his gaze to Izuku, "Midoriya, I'm so-"

"Can you hold that thought for a minute, Iida? I think we should get our business over with so we can all move on with our lives."

"Right, we'll go get everyone," Minoru nodded as he, Iida, and the girls all got up to head upstairs.

"You should probably change, Izu," *Pop* costume off, *pop* uniform on.

"Or you could just do that. That works too," Tsu snarked, watching Ochako's blushing reaction to seeing Izuku in his underwear for a brief moment with mild annoyance. _'It's cute sometimes but it's not right now.'_ Tsu wiggled her friend's ear to get her attention, causing her to bashfully follow up the rear as the two girls went to get the rest.

After everyone gathered in the common room, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Everyone was staring at Izuku wondering what he was going to do.

They probably weren't ready for him to get on his knees and bow.

"I'm so sorry for what happened today." Izuku began, "I'm sorry for hiding what I am and having you all find out like this. I'm sorry you guys had to see me lose control of myself and… what happened to the nomus but I'm most sorry about scaring you guys like I did. Kaminari, Yaoyarozu, Jirou, I probably can't apologize enough for what I did to you guys that you felt you had to defend yourselves from me. But I really am sorry for everything." As Izuku finished, the class just looked at each other, unsure of what to say to him.

"If none of you have anything to say or ask, I think it's time to vote." The class turned to look at Todoroki, his face unreadable.

"Didn't you have something to say to him?" Kaminari asked.

"I said that what I needed to say was between me and him. No one else in this room needs to hear what I have to say and it has no bearing on my choice and it should have any on yours." The class was confused but let it go.

"I do have something to say though," Jirou began, catching the group by surprise. "Midoriya, pick your head up. You look silly down there." Izuku's head rose quickly to look at her as he stopped bending over. Jirou had a small smile as she fiddled with one of her earphone jacks. "You gave us a good scare but, in the end, you saved our butts so I'm willing to call it an even trade-off. So, apology accepted and thanks."

"While that 'Rage Shroud' of yours is frightening, you were still able to make sure we weren't hurt by your actions." said Yaoyarozu.

"Nezu told us the gist of what happened so I can understand why you became a thief even if I don't agree with it. I'm willing to give you a chance," Kaminari added as he pulled out the note from Kota, "And I'm not the only one." Izuku took the note and read it, smiling at what it said and giving Kota a nod. Izuku looks at the rest of the class to see mostly smiles of encouragement.

"Well, if everyone's got what they wanted to say out, it's time to vote. Should Young Midoriya stay or should he leave." Yagi walked around and handed out pieces of paper to everyone to write on with Yaoyarozu supplying the pens from her arms. Izuku took a seat and waited anxiously. He was going to keep his promise if one person voted against him. Better he leaves than cause more problems. Yagi quickly collected the slips and began to count them. After counting, he turned to face the class, face confused.

"Huh, didn't think I'd see that,"

"What's up, Mr. Yagi," Ochako asked before the secretary placed all the sheets on the table. Izuku's eyes widened as he read them all.

"Yes" written down nineteen times. A unanimous vote in his favor.

"You… you all voted for me?" Izuku looked over at Bakugou, "Even you, Bakugou?"

"Don't get any ideas. I still plan on beating you and proving I'm better. I just want to make sure you aren't getting better training than I am so when I beat you, there'll be no questions left about who's better." Izuku smirked, unable to help himself.

"Aw, you do care…" Bakugou wanted to explode but just barely managed to hold himself back as he glared at Izuku with everything he had.

"I DEAL. WITH YOU. LATER." He growled through gritted teeth as he immediately stomped upstairs, a good chunk of the class chuckling and giggling at Bakugou's antics. The class all started congratulating Izuku on his return to the class. Izuku grinned at his classmates.

"Thanks guys. I promise, I'm done running from my past or what I am. No more lies. If you want to know anything, just ask."

"Well, now that you mention it… What was it like fighting a Yakuza like that guy that was torturing Eri?" As Izuku began, Kaminari walked up to Todoroki as he was turning to leave.

"Todoroki, I thought you said you couldn't trust liars."

"Who said I trust him? However, like I said before, my problem with him has no bearing on my vote."

"Then why let him stay?" Todoroki began walking away, leaving Kaminari behind.

"The vote was meaningless. All it changed is whether he gets special training or not. Frankly, I'd rather not let him get ahead of me because he got better training than me." Kaminari nodded, understanding at least that much. Though he had to wonder, why was he so fixated on Midoriya's lying

* * *

**A/N: I'm back! Did you miss me? I missed me! If you don't know why I took a small hiatus, go read last chapter's new author's note because I ain't explaining that twice.**

**Even now as I write this, one month later, I'm still not satisfied. Like, to give you an idea, I, for like a week, thought about actually having Izuku leave Class 1-A and earn trust outside the class through other means before coming back again, just because I felt the outcome was too predictable. I then realized that was basically a waste of time and dropped it because I remembered that sometimes, predictable can be a good thing.**

**There were also a number of things that previous chapters that failed to be understandable to all in the sense that I had two different people completely miss what I was going for. And that's on me, I should have been clearer in the text but it happens so no harm, no foul. I just need to be clearer is all. I just feel like when I foreshadow something or allude to something in canon that's to be implemented soon, it flies six feet over people's heads unless I point blank state it. Guys, if I'm being too vague, can you just say it? I'm 18 chapters in and writing the same way.**

**Reviews:**

**ProjectIceman: Well, it might to him, considering what Izuku will learn. **

**Blaze1992: Not what I was going for. The plan was for them to be afraid that Izuku had no problems killing someone while in Rage Shroud, not the power alone. My bad, I tried to make it clearer this time. I wanted to portray them as, you know, teens that haven't seen battle or death before and are just seeing it for themselves.**

**Toffeecat15: Yes, if anyone's wondering, the answer is yes. Why? Have you **_**seen **_**early Canon!Aizawa? The dude is tough love in human form. He'll tell you your shit stinks in the dickest way possible so you'll fix it because he doesn't want you getting you or someone else killed. He has unrealistic expectations for children that exist in a society where quirk use is largely illegal for most people because he demands the best from people that will be in charge of protecting those that can't protect themselves. He expelled **_**an entire class because of this**_**. **_**IN JAPAN**_**. He threatened to throw out Izuku for being a liability, something he happens to be in this very story with having a second self that chops off heads. Different, yes, but no less problematic for everyone else around him. But that makes sense. Aizawa was an **_**antagonist**_** in his first appearance. His role in the story at first was to **_**oppose**_** Izuku and Izuku had to overcome him and his test in order to achieve the first step on his path to becoming a hero. The same is true here as well. Izuku must overcome Aizawa's distrust of him.**

**lovleydragonfly: "****This message has been truncated due to length. To view in full, please visit site." This was at the end of the email I got for your review. You know a review is long when Fanfiction has to tell me this. I've never seen this message before in my entire time here. Okay, one step at a time.**

**Amazing writer? No. I don't buy that, **_**at all**_**. If I was, I wouldn't need almost 200 words to explain why Aizawa is supposed to be a dick at first. Ochako getting One For All was a decision mostly made because I really didn't like how she's been basically banished to the background in canon and this was the easiest way to make sure she could keep up with the more… OP members of her class.**

**There's a reason I tagged this story as "Friendship" and not romance. If I wanted a ship fic, I'd make a ship fic and it'd be like 100000 words shorter. No, Izuku's friendships with others were way more important to get across. I am not saying they can't have crushes on each other because most teenagers have crushes. I am saying that it's not even in the top 10 on my priorities right now.**

**The funny thing with Minoru is that adding loyalty to friends and sewing were the only things I added to his character. Everything else was already there, just give less focus in some places (his perversion and tweaking his cowardice to more… acceptable levels) and more focus in others (Him supposedly being the second smartest person in the class for instance). The pieces are there for a decent character already, surprisingly.**

**I'm glad you're interested in the "Nomu Voice" though it'll be awhile before that question is answered. Thank you for the kind words, even if I don't necessarily agree with them.**

**One last thing before I go, I'm considering starting another story completely unrelated to this one so I'm thinking once I get that one up, this story will be shifting to an upload every month. Before anyone asks, it isn't another MHA one. I'm not sure if it'll be this month or next month. Still working out the kinks.**

**Next Chapter: Todoroki and Izuku. Different but similar. Also, something else happens as we start the road to the Sports Festival! Which me a certain purple haired teen will be making an appearance. And Eri does a thing.**

**Till next time, Sal out.**


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